The high-stakes divorce battle between pop superstar Sia and her estranged husband, Daniel Bernad, has escalated dramatically after new court filings revealed his request for a staggering $250,856 per month in temporary spousal support. The demand, submitted to the Los Angeles court, is accompanied by additional requests for $300,000 to cover legal fees and $200,000 for forensic accounting, underscoring a fiercely contested financial separation.
Bernad, a former radiation oncologist, claims he is now financially dependent on the Grammy-nominated singer after stepping away from his medical career to pursue a joint business venture with his wife.
The Lifestyle Standard
The core of Bernad’s argument rests on maintaining the “luxurious and upper-class lifestyle” he allegedly grew accustomed to during their three-year marriage. In the court documents, he detailed a monthly expenditure of over $400,000, which included:
- Regular use of private jets and luxurious vacations.
- High-end dining and an elite social life.
- The maintenance of a full-time household staff, reportedly numbering between 10 and 12 employees, including personal chefs and masseuses.
“We never needed to monitor our living expenses,” Bernad wrote in his petition. He argued that as the “breadwinner in our marriage,” Sia has the financial ability to pay the requested sum to “maintain our financial status quo.”
The Career Cost
The former couple, who share an 18-month-old son, Somersault Wonder, married in a private ceremony in 2022. Bernad claims he stopped practicing as a physician in 2021 to co-found a ketamine treatment clinic, “Modern Medicine,” with Sia. He alleged that his career shift was made with Sia’s full knowledge that his medical certification would eventually expire.
According to his filing, Sia ceased funding for the joint company in March of this year, leaving Bernad without any income or salary since that time. He stated that he will need to undergo “several years of training and pass several rigorous exams” before he can renew his certification and practice medicine again.
Sia, who filed for divorce in March citing “irreconcilable differences,” is seeking legal and physical custody of their son and is asking the court to terminate its ability to award spousal support to Bernad, setting the stage for a contentious legal showdown over the division of assets and financial obligations.
The court’s final ruling on temporary spousal support will determine the financial trajectory of the high-profile divorce, forcing a celebrity couple’s private luxury into the public spotlight.