Pop superstar Sia is facing a high-stakes divorce battle, as her estranged husband, Dan Bernad, has asked a Los Angeles court to grant him nearly $251,000 per month in spousal support.
According to Billboard, Bernad, 47, filed his petition on Friday, October 10, stating that he has been left financially dependent on the Grammy-nominated singer after stepping away from his career as a radiation oncologist.
According to the filing, he left medicine at Sia’s urging when they opened a ketamine clinic together in 2021. Bernad now says the clinic is no longer funded, his medical license has lapsed, and he has no current income.
“I request that the court order Sia to pay me temporary spousal support in the sum of $250,856 per month,” Bernad wrote. “Orders are necessary at this time because I am financially dependent on Sia, the breadwinner in our marriage.”
The couple married in 2022 and shares a 17-month-old child named Somersault. Sia filed for divorce in March, citing “irreconcilable differences.”
While Sia’s exact net worth was redacted from the court documents, Bernad argued that the singer has the financial ability to sustain him at the level he claims to have become accustomed to.
In the filing, Bernad detailed what he described as the couple’s “luxurious and upper-class lifestyle,” which he estimates costs more than $400,000 a month. He pointed to expenses such as private jet travel, fine dining, and full-time staff as regular parts of their household spending.
Bernad also asked the court to compel Sia to pay an additional $500,000 toward his legal fees, which he said would “level the playing field” as the divorce moves forward.
Rebuilding his medical career, Bernad explained, would not be a short process. “I will need to complete several years of training and pass several rigorous exams before I can renew my certification and practice radiation oncology again,” he wrote.
Representatives for Sia had not commented on the petition. The case is expected to move forward in the coming weeks, with the court deciding whether Bernad will receive temporary support while the divorce is finalized.