'Lies' cost ex-wife $9.7 mil.

Oh good lord. This really is a case of beware of a woman scorned. And it cost her almost $10 Million. Look at this story and then hopefully, if possible, you can choose your partners a little better...

But the fairy tale ended when their marriage unraveled, attorneys from both sides said.

The 200 letters Maria George sent -- complete with a glossy 8-by-10 photo of herself -- alleged that Scott George boasted of bribing judges, made plans to have her killed and duped his employers out of money with a lucrative investment scam.

The letter also detailed allegations in the couple's divorce.

Maria George, now living in the Tampa, Fla., area, had used Crain's Chicago Business to help identify top local firms where her ex-husband was likely to seek employment, and then made sure each got her letter, according to court testimony.

Scott George said he found himself demoted soon after the letters were mailed late in 2002. And when his firm was eventually sold, he was the only employee not given a job offer.

Scott George's attorney, Ed Joyce, said his client went from making $1.5 million a year before the letters were sent out to struggling to find a job.
...
Scott George now makes $160,000 a year with a firm that has no Chicago ties -- which means his employer never saw his ex-wife's letter. But financial experts testified he lost more than $1 million in income so far and will have a net loss of $15 million by the time he retires, as a result of his difficulties.

Maria George, owner of the holistic cosmetic company Laser Garden, accused her ex-husband of abuse and said he harassed her for years, but there was no evidence of the alleged abuse.

Still, one of Maria George's attorneys, Richard DuCote, argued in his closing statements Thursday that she endured "emotional torture" in the marriage and that sending the letters "was the only way to protect" herself from her ex-husband's threats.

Scott George has maintained he'd had no contact with Maria George since they divorced.

Something happened unfortunately we may never know what exactly happened. What caused her to do this other than for revenge of sometime. Or if he really abused her. Either way this is definitely a case of how things can go from bad to worse.