Energy tycoon ordered to pay ex-wife nearly $1B

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – A judge in Oklahoma is ordering the chairman and CEO of energy giant Continental Resources Inc. to pay his wife nearly $1 billion as part of a divorce settlement.

The judge’s order, released Monday, directs Harold Hamm to pay his ex-wife, Sue Ann Hamm, $995.4 million for "property division alimony."

Harold Hamm was directed to pay $322 million to Sue Ann Hamm by the end of the year, with minimum payments of $7 million each month starting in January to pay off the remaining balance.

The order states that marital assets awarded to Harold Hamm totaled more than $2 billion.

The couple has been married since 1988. Sue Ann Hamm filed for divorce in 2012.

The judge ordered transcripts in the divorce case to be sealed.