Heather Mills's divorce settlement could be affected by document leak

After Heather Mills' serious allegations of abuse by her estranged husband, Paul McCartney hit the press yesterday, the activist and former model may have a lesser chance of winning a big divorce settlement. Many suspect that Mills herself was behind the leak of the court documents and that action could have violated a gag clause.

Legal experts believe that Heather could have wound up with a settlement of £100 million (or nearly $200 million), but if she is found to be the source of the leaked documents, she will likely end up with far less money. A source told London's Daily Mail, "Paul is furious and is determined to keep the payment down. He knows she has a claim but is now digging his heels in and does not want to go over £30 million [approximately $56 million]. Less would be even better but obviously it will depend on the court case and the judge." McCartney is said to be worth £825 million (or $1.5 billion).

Mills's lawyers at Mishcon de Reya are standing by the validity of their client's claims of abuse at the hands of McCartney. They're also resolute that Heather was not responsible for the leak of those claims to the public. Heather has threatened bringing lawsuits against any newspaper that suggests she is behind the leak.