Famed plastic surgeon Howard Sobel accused of ‘refusing’ to care for sick child amid divorce from wife Brittney
This is something going under the knife won’t fix.
Famed New York City plastic surgeon Dr. Howard Sobel and his wife, Brittney Sobel, are divorcing, Page Six can exclusively reveal — and the split has been acrimonious from the start.
Brittney, an attorney, first filed for divorce in New York on May 1, but the case has moved to an appellate court because Howard is attempting to delay child support payments of $25,000 per month for their sickly daughter despite his “approximately $30 million” assets, according to legal documents obtained by Page Six.
“The fact is that Dr. Sobel’s challenge to [the judge’s] interim relief is not about injustice or affordability,” state the documents filed on July 14.
“It is about an abusive and controlling husband refusing to accept a court requiring him to support his child in a manner consistent with the child’s lifestyle and inconsistent with his desire to punish Ms. Sobel.”
The documents further claim that Howard — who has treated stars such as Katie Couric, Luann de Lesseps, Ramona Singer and more — attempted to have his estranged wife “arrested twice” on “false allegations of purported harassment” and allegedly went so far as to plant surveillance cameras throughout his and her home.
Despite their child’s medical issues, which include “gross motor skill delays” and “hypersensitivity,” Howard, 72, “terminated the child’s medical insurance” as well as Brittney’s insurance “without telling” her, alleges the filing.
“Dr. Sobel’s cruelty knows no bounds and his efforts before this Court is just a continuation of this abusive pattern,” state the documents.
In documents filed on July 21 and obtained by Page Six, Howard responded to Brittney’s allegations and doubled down on claiming that she “attempted to extort” more than $9.5 million more than she was “entitled.”
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The plastic surgeon, who married Brittney on Sept. 16, 2017, also claims he is “unable” to afford the $25,000-a-month child support order because he is already paying $150,000 annually in spousal support to his ex-wife, Gayle Perry, and shells out more in child support for his and Perry’s two children.
The documents also reveal that Howard and Brittney have a prenup in place and it dictates he pay her $12,500 per month, which he has being doing.
Howard’s attorneys also argue that his and Brittney’s shared child has “no special needs” and is actually “intellectually advanced for her age.”
A decision has yet to be made on Brittney’s request for the child support order to be fulfilled.
Reps for the estranged couple didn’t immediately return Page Six’s requests for comment.
