Harold Hamm's ex-wife refused his $974.8 million check, then cashed it and lost her appeal for more

Harold Hamm founded Continental Resources and became one of the richest men in America during the Bakken shale boom. His wife of 26 years, Sue Ann Arnall, was a lawyer and former Continental executive. Her lawyers valued his fortune at up to $18 billion and argued most of its growth came from his work during the marriage. In November 2014 an Oklahoma County judge awarded her about $1 billion in cash and assets, and Hamm kept his Continental stake. In January 2015 Hamm's lawyer delivered a handwritten check for $974.8 million. Arnall rejected it, saying the award was too low. She later cashed it. The Oklahoma Supreme Court then dismissed her appeal, holding that by cashing the check and taking certain accounts she had "voluntarily accepted" the judgment. Two dissenting justices called it a "draconian approach to divorce law." The majority let Hamm's own appeal, arguing the award was too high, continue. Hamm remains Continental's controlling owner in 2026^†.