Spike three: Tanya and Charles Brandes divorcing

The financial publication Fundfire notes in a February 16 article that onetime social darlings of San Diego and Rancho Santa Fe, Charles Brandes and his wife Tanya, are now divorcing; this was the third marriage for each.

Both filed stories of mutual violence in court. According to Fundfire, Charles Brandes requested a domestic violence restraining order against her on January 29. According to the publication, Brandes claimed “his wife struck him in the head with a flashlight, pointed a .45 caliber handgun at him, sprayed mace in his eyes and threatened to kill him using skills learned from Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) training." She punched, kicked, and choked him, he claimed. (He is a good deal older than she is.)

She, in turn, requested a domestic violence restraining order against her husband, claiming he threw her to the floor twice, injuring her. She claimed she suffered  bruises to her face, arms, legs, and right ankle.

Both lawyers say each person has agreed to withdraw claims against the other and are working for a prompt dissolution of their marriage.

The story misses some details covered locally. When they married, society columns were full of reports of their ideal marriage. They resided in one of the most expensive homes in the county, in Rancho Santa Fe. He had a huge collection of automobiles that she loved. They were pictured at social soirées, such as on the late David Copley’s yacht at Cannes; also at a David Copley–sponsored affair to honor His Serene Royal Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco. He was at one time a billionaire (I doubt if he still is), and listed among the Forbes 400, a compilation of the 400 richest Americans.

The article only mentions that Charles Brandes has taken a leave of absence from Brandes Investment Partners. It notes briefly that the firm’s funds under management have declined sharply from above $100 billion to $31.2 billion. 

The story mentions that Brandes divorced his second wife but doesn’t note how tumultuous that was.  As reported in the Reader and Union-Tribune, in 2005 his divorce from second wife Linda divided assets like this: he got a home in Rancho Santa Fe and Borrego Springs. She got six homes, including a penthouse on Park Avenue in New York and a beachside home in Del Mar. He complained that the trial court gave her $450,000 a month in spousal support. He said $100,000 was sufficient. She protested the trial court’s decision, too.

The Reader has followed the decline of Brandes Investment Partners over a period of 11 years. He was convinced he could choose stocks that the market was neglecting. The money under management was once as high as $125 billion. His biggest mistake was jumping aboard newspaper stocks such as Gannett and McClatchy when they started to fall. However, they continued to fall and he took a huge bath on them. He also jumped into bank stocks at an inopportune time. As Brandes Investment Partners fell, I continued to phone Charles Brandes for an explanation, but he never returned my calls.