Rocky Wirtz’s divorce case opens a window into lavish lifestyle of one of Chicago’s richest families

From the hockey rink to the courtroom, the Wirtz family loves a good fight.

And like a fight at a Chicago Blackhawks game, the gloves are off in divorce court, where William Rockwell “Rocky” Wirtz, whose family owns the hockey team, and his wife Kathleen have been brawling for more than three years.

They have sparred over their $3 million home in Winnetka.

They have jabbed over Rocky Wirtz’s ownership of a Coors beer distributorship in Las Vegas.

They have gone to the mat over Kathy Wirtz’s demand for nearly $35,000 a month in temporary maintenance — including $4,000 for vacations — until the judge decides how much her husband must pay her to end the 28-year marriage.

They went at it over her credit-card bills and her personal shoppers at Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue.

They squared off over a $22,000 tab for her 50th birthday party in Mexico.

He cut her out of his will. She wants back in.

Now, Rocky Wirtz has dragged Maryville Academy and its director, the Rev. John Smyth, into the divorce. Maryville, a haven for abused children, was a favorite charity of the Wirtz family, which gave it nearly $1.9 million between 1994 and 2000. Kathy Wirtz is on the board of directors. But, after she sued for divorce, the donations ended.

The case of Wirtz vs. Wirtz, set for trial Sept. 8, offers a rare peek at the pampered lifestyles of Chicago’s richest families. The frequent trips around the world. The shopping sprees at exclusive stores. The elite schools. The hired help.

If the Wirtzes are representative, Chicago’s super-rich really aren’t like the rest of us. Most of us don’t throw $22,000 birthday bashes.

Then again, they can be as petty as anybody else — squabbling over a new stovetop.

The couple lived a “luxurious lifestyle,” Kathy Wirtz says in one court filing, because her husband is “fabulously wealthy.”

Rocky Wirtz, through an attorney, begs to disagree.

“To his knowledge,” the lawyer says in a document, “only fictional characters are ‘fabulously wealthy.’ “

The Wirtz empire dates to the Great Depression, when Rocky Wirtz’s grandfather Arthur Wirtz, the son of a Chicago police officer, made a fortune in real estate. He went on to own stadiums in Chicago, New York, St. Louis and Detroit, using them to promote thousands of sporting events, from six-day bicycle races to professional hockey.

Today, the privately owned Wirtz Corp. run by Rocky Wirtz’s father William Wirtz is worth an estimated $800 million. The family is widely known for its ownership of the Blackhawks and its co-ownership of the United Center. The Wirtzes also own a string of other businesses. Among their major holdings are Judge & Dolph, the largest liquor distributorship in Illinois, banks in Elmwood Park and Miami and exclusive apartment buildings on the North Side.

Kathy Wirtz says Rocky Wirtz gave her a financial statement that values his share of the Wirtz family empire at $11 million. She calls that “ludicrously low” and has hired a forensic accountant — at her husband’s expense — to nail down what he owns and what it’s worth. The couple reported an adjusted gross income of $1.6 million in 1999.

The Wirtzes have an adult son and daughter and a teenage daughter. Neither of the Wirtzes will talk publicly about the divorce. Rocky Wirtz says he wants to protect his younger daughter’s privacy. Kathy Wirtz says she is legally prohibited from discussing the case.

“I had to file a confidentiality agreement, so I’m not at liberty to say anything,” she said. “I was forced to sign it. Otherwise, I might say something.”

Both have had plenty to say, though, in documents that fill three files in Cook County circuit court.

Lavish lifestyle

Kathy Wirtz, who describes herself as a full-time homemaker, contends that she cannot afford the “lavish” lifestyle she led as Rocky Wirtz’s wife without his money. And she wants the judge to make sure she can maintain that standard of living.

“Historically, the parties took two European vacations each year, as well as numerous trips to tropical locations during the winter months,” her lawyers have told the judge. “The parties flew first-class and stayed at the finest hotels and resorts.

“The lifestyle at home was similarly luxurious. Kathy historically has had a housekeeper, extra cleaning help, a handyman, a gardener and a pool service working at the Winnetka marital home. . . . They enjoyed dining in the finest restaurants in the Chicago area and availed themselves of the sporting and entertainment opportunities of the United Center, including Chicago Blackhawks games and frequent concerts [obviously with the use of a luxury skybox]. . . . In short, Kathy has enjoyed the lifestyle befitting the wife of a multimillionaire scion of one of the wealthiest families in the United States.

“Rocky is clearly capable of maintaining Kathy . . . in the lifestyle they enjoyed during the marriage, and this court should order him to do so.

Kathy Wirtz said in another filing: “The only assets I have at my disposal are my inheritance.”

That inheritance, according to her husband, is worth about $1 million.

Rocky Wirtz, 50, and Kathy Wirtz, 51, got married in 1975. They came from similar backgrounds. Their grandfathers were real estate kingpins.

She grew up on the North Shore, the daughter of Jerome Whiston, who developed and managed prominent Loop skyscrapers, and the granddaughter of Frank Whiston, a real estate titan who was president of the Chicago Board of Education under Mayor Richard J. Daley.

The couple separated in 1999, and Kathy Wirtz sued for divorce in March 2000.

Now, while they fight it out in court, Kathy Wirtz has asked for nearly $35,000 a month in temporary maintenance for her household and personal expenses, including $4,000 for vacations. The judge ordered Rocky Wirtz to pay her $14,000 a month for her personal expenses and also ordered him to pay her household expenses, which he says comes to another $14,000 a month.

The flaming cooktop

The divorce feud heated up quickly over something surprisingly small — a kitchen cooktop in their Winnetka home.

She demanded that he replace the cooktop because it had caused a fire. She said he refused.

Rocky Wirtz countered that the cooktop was perfectly fine and did not cause a fire. All the same, he said, he offered to replace it “to move forward in these proceedings,” but his wife refused.

“Instead, Kathleen has decided to use this issue in an attempt to have approximately $27,000 of remodeling work on the kitchen [of course, at Rocky’s expense],” his attorney wrote. “Rocky wonders why Kathleen has not had a new cooktop installed [since this is such a dangerous situation] by accepting Rocky’s offer or paying for the necessary repairs from the $1 million investment account that she controls.”

The fight raged for months before Judge Grace Dickler gave the couple seven days to settle the cooktop issue. It’s unclear from court records whether the issue was indeed settled. Kathy Wirtz’s attorney Barry Schatz declined to say.

“This is silly stuff,” he said. “It’s a Wirtz family special. I don’t care to engage in these issues.”

The ‘palatial’ home

While they squabbled over the cooktop, the Wirtzes also fought over something bigger — the whole house.

He wanted to sell the house, arguing that “maintaining Kathy in a $2.75 million, six-bedroom home is not reasonable.”

Kathy Wirtz, who has described the home as “palatial,” refused.

“Rocky recognizes Kathy’s attachment to the residence and is exploiting the issue in an attempt to intimidate Kathy and force her to settle this case on his terms,” her attorneys wrote.

Rocky Wirtz paid $1.875 million for the home on 1.7 acres in 1990. He had sole title to the property because Kathy Wirtz had signed a waiver. He has repeatedly argued that he bought the home with nonmarital funds, including gifts from his grandfather, so his wife isn’t legally entitled to any money when the home is sold.

Kathy Wirtz admits signing the paper but says she never agreed the home would belong only to her husband.

Rocky Wirtz seems to have lost this one. Nearly two years ago, the judge ruled that the home is shared marital property, which gives Kathy Wirtz a piece of the money if and when the house is sold, though Rocky Wirtz still can try to recover the nonmarital funds he used to buy the property.

Meanwhile, the Wirtzes are still arguing over whether to sell.

She finally agreed to sell the Winnetka house this past February, deciding to move to a smaller home. But he no longer wants to sell.

Kathy Wirtz is now demanding that Rocky Wirtz sell the home, charging his “bait and switch” forced her to borrow money from her mother to buy a smaller home.

“There is absolutely no reason for the parties to maintain an empty $3 million home, particularly in light of Rocky’s repeated insistence that the residence be sold,” her attorneys wrote two months ago. “In fact, when Rocky’s attorneys were pressed for an explanation, they informed Kathy’s attorneys that Rocky does not want the sales proceeds available for the payment of attorney’s fees or for the court to award to Kathleen at the conclusion of this matter. Rocky’s refusal to list the residence for sale constitutes game playing and should not be countenanced by this court.”

Selling Coors

Rocky Wirtz fought hard to keep his wife from getting a piece of Monarch Beverage Company, which distributes Coors beer in Las Vegas.

They were married for five years by the time he and his father bought the company in 1980, but Rocky Wirtz claimed it wasn’t a marital asset, just a generous personal gift from his father.

“William Wirtz as the president of the Wirtz Corporation elected to gift an opportunity to acquire that majority interest to his son, Rocky,” Rocky Wirtz’s attorneys wrote. “He did so.”

Kathy Wirtz’s lawyers argued that Rocky Wirtz and his father bought Monarch with a $1 million loan from another Wirtz company, and that Rocky Wirtz used his marital checkbook to repay the loan with interest. He reported the interest on the couple’s tax returns.

Rocky Wirtz seems to have lost this one, too. Last summer, Dickler ruled in Kathy Wirtz’s favor.

“It is Mr. Wirtz’s contention that the opportunity to acquire a majority interest in the business was, in fact, a gift from his father,” the judge wrote. “However, not one case is cited by Mr. Wirtz to support his contention that an opportunity falls within the meaning of a gift. . . . To further underscore, Mr. Wirtz’s father did not file a gift-tax return.”

Kathy Wirtz says the company is worth $100 million. Rocky Wirtz say it’s worth less than $5 million.

A fiesta

Last year, Kathy Wirtz decided to celebrate her 50th birthday in Mexico. She asked her husband to pick up the tab for the two-week vacation, estimated at $22,000.

“Rocky admits that he has refused to provide Kathleen with funds for this vacation. . . . Kathleen has invited numerous third parties, including her current paramour, David Hull, and is demanding that Rocky pay,” his attorneys wrote. “Kathleen has sufficient funds to pay for her whims . . .’ “

Court records don’t show whether Rocky Wirtz paid for the Mexican trip but do show that the Wirtzes’ current companions have been pulled into the fray.

Rocky Wirtz has attacked Hull for failing to produce travel records, while Kathy Wirtz is making an issue of the money Rocky Wirtz is spending on Marilyn Queen, his companion.

He spends $3,500 a month to rent a Kenilworth home for Queen and her daughter. He also pays her utilities and other expenses, including a car. Rocky Wirtz also admits he gave Queen diamond earrings worth $15,000, among other gifts.

But he insists he is spending only nonmarital assets.

Jason Brown / Sun-Times Media

Maryville donations

For years, William Wirtz and the Blackhawks raised millions of dollars for Maryville Academy, the former orphanage run by the Rev. John Smyth, a Catholic priest. Blackhawk Charities gave Maryville nearly $1.9 million between 1994 and 2000. The final check for $250,000 was in October 2000, a few months after Kathy Wirtz filed for divorce.

The Wirtz donations were significant sources of income for Maryville, which took in about $6.5 million in donations in that same fiscal year, according to tax records.

Now, Rocky Wirtz says that Kathy Wirtz “euchred” him into donating “a substantial amount” of money to Maryville to “enhance” her “personal relationship” with Smyth.

It’s unclear from the court documents whether he is referring to donations made by him, his family or Blackhawk Charities. But he wants the judge to subtract the amount of the donations to Maryville from whatever money he eventually must pay Kathy Wirtz.

Rocky Wirtz never identifies Smyth and Maryville by name in the charges he leveled in court July 31, but the Chicago Sun-Times has confirmed that the allegations center around Smyth and Maryville. Smyth did not return calls.

“How can he comment on something between a husband and a wife?” said attorney Philip Corboy Sr., speaking as Smyth’s friend, not as his attorney.

Rocky Wirtz’s charges came a month after Smyth skipped a June 26 deposition with Rocky Wirtz’s attorneys. On Thursday, the attorneys filed a motion asking that Smyth be held in contempt of court.

Rocky Wirtz’s attorneys had served Smyth with a subpoena, asking him for any correspondence between himself and Kathy Wirtz since 1993. They also asked Smyth for any records related to “travel outside the state of Illinois with you and Kathleen Wirtz” since 1993.

“There is no substance to what this subpoena is about,” Schatz said. “I don’t know what [Rocky Wirtz is] trying to achieve. You’d have to ask Rocky Wirtz about that.”