Julia Haart's divorce explained: Her role, ownership, and control of Elite World Group
As of January 2026, Julia Haart's divorce from Silvio Scaglia has yet to be fully finalised, although major financial and property divisions have already been settled in favour of the My Unorthodox Life star. In a 2022 chat with Tudum, she shared the dark sides of her messy split from the tech entrepreneur, saying:
Divorce is never easy; it does not matter who you are or what the circumstances are. It is devastating, painful and emotionally draining, but I choose to look at it as a lesson for introspection. I am now focused on healing my family and myself from this experience.
Source: Getty Images
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- Julia Haart filed for divorce from Silvio Scaglia in 2022, citing "emotional distress", including "bullying" behaviour during their relationship.
- He accused her of misappropriating funds from their joint venture, Freedom Holding (a holding company that controls the Elite World Group).
- In January 2025, the court ruled in Julia's favour, awarding her the couple's 16-room, $65 million Tribeca penthouse in New York City.
- The fashion designer documents her divorce in the Netflix miniseries My Unorthodox Life, in which she serves as executive producer.
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News of Silvio and Julia Haart's divorce made headlines in 2022
Julia filed for divorce from Silvio in February 2022. According to court documents obtained by People, she claimed he "has become increasingly volatile, abusive and unhinged" toward her. Haart also contested her dismissal from her role as CEO of Elite World Group (EWG), alleging that Scaglia fired her to get back at her for filing for divorce.
She alleged that he terminated her assistants, blocked her access to the company's office and cancelled her corporate credit cards. In response to the suit, Silvio's spokesperson told People:
We are not focused on Ms. Haart's false claims, as we have faith that the court will determine the facts and the law.
Source: Getty Images
Julia asked for a divorce nine months into her marriage with Silvio
Silvio Scaglia and Julia Haart got married in 2019. However, she did not like the way he treated her four children (Batsheva, Shlomo, Miriam, and Aron), born to her from her previous marriage to Yosef Hendler.
According to USA Today, Julia soon realised "divorce was the only option". In Season 2 of My Unorthodox Life, she painted a picture of the reason she decided to file for divorce, revealing:
Silvio once told me, "My problem is that your kids control your life." I witnessed him mistreating them, until it dawned on me that he would never love them as his own.
A closer look at Silvio and Julia's battle over their assets
Following Julia's lawsuit, Silvio accused Julia of illegally withdrawing $850,000 from the EWG's account and using the money for personal gain.
In August 2022, the court declared Scaglia the firm's controlling shareholder, as Haart owned only 49.99%. About two years later, the court allowed a fraud case filed by Julia against Silvio for allegedly misinterpreting her ownership of the company to continue after an initial dismissal.
An arrest warrant is issued for Silvio Scaglia
In June 2024, Silvio was arrested for failing to pay $300,000 in legal fees to Haart as ordered by a New York court. He was sentenced to 20 days in prison. Judge Jeffrey Pearlman entered a default judgment in January 2025 after Scaglia ceased participating in the proceedings.
Source: Getty Images
He ruled that she owns 50% of EWG and Freedom Holding. Haart was also granted $7.4 million in unpaid management fees for the firm from 2019 to 2021. The judge also awarded her half of the proceeds from a $2.97 million Kees Van Dongen painting sold by Scaglia. He also accused Scaglia of misappropriating company funds.
Julia Haart showed contentment in the court's ruling
Following Judge Pearlman's ruling, Julia told Page Six:
Words cannot express my immense joy and gratitude. I am grateful to God for giving me the strength to see this through and to Judge Pearlman for ensuring justice was served.
On 21 January 2025, Haart's daughter Batcheva took to Instagram to celebrate her mom's win in a post that read:
For the past three years, my mom has been fighting to prove her innocence. She is the most inspiring woman in my life because even when things got tough, she never gave up.
However, Scaglia expressed his dissatisfaction with the ruling in an interview with Page Six, stating:
Freedom Holding and its subsidiaries are a premarital asset that I purchased in 2011, long before I met Julia. She was nothing then, she is nothing now and will be nothing in the future.
Source: Getty Images
Haart is still Scaglia's wife legally
During a January 2026 appearance on the Tamron Hall Show, Julia revealed that some parts of her divorce from Scaglia are still pending:
I am still married to this man; he is not my ex-husband. We have been in a 4-year legal battle.
Nonetheless, Silvio is currently engaged to socialite Michelle-Marie Heinemann. In January 2023, she legally took the surname Scaglia.
FAQs
Silvio and Julia first met in 2015 during a business meeting. Here are some frequently asked questions about the estranged couple:
How old is Julia Haart?
Julia (54 as of January 2026) was born on 11 April 1971 in Moscow, Russia. Her family moved to Austin, Texas, when she was three years old. Haart attended Bais Yaakov Money.
Source: Getty Images
Who was Silvio Scaglia's first wife?
Silvio Scaglia was previously married to Monica Aschei, and they had three children. Their divorce was finalised in 2018.
Wrapping up
Julia Haart's divorce from Silvio Scaglia made headlines in 2022. After a lengthy legal battle, the court ruled in her favour and awarded her 50% of all disputed entities, including the Elite World Group and Freedom Holding. Haart also has the power of attorney over Silvio's ownership of the assets.
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Proofreading by Kelly Lippke, copy editor at Briefly.co.za.
Source: Briefly News
