Tim Burton’s Ugly Breakup: Why Did His Ex-girlfriend Sue Him Even After a $5.5 Million Payment?

Tim Burton’s another breakup before Monica Bellucci had major drama after his ex brought a palimony lawsuit against him.

Before the breakup with Monica Bellucci, Tim Burton had major trouble with another girlfriend of his.

In 2006, Burton’s ex-girlfriend Lisa Marie filed a lawsuit against the director.

Burton and Marie dated for nearly ten years before splitting up in 2001.

In her palimony lawsuit, she said that Burton had cheated her out of money (via PEOPLE).

She shared that Barton had promised to offer her “financial support and needs for the rest of her life.” However, the Beetlejuice director claimed that he had settled with Marie for an amount of $5.5 million.

His lawyers further argued that she signed a contract waiving her rights to Burton’s future assets.

A failure to stick to the contract meant that Marie would have had to return the money.

Marie, in response, mentioned that she was coerced into signing the contract with Burton.

She also claimed that she never received that amount in full.

In 2008, Burton tried to have the case thrown out in the LA Superior Court.

However, the judge refused to do so.

According to the ABA Journal, the California Court of Appeals overturned the lower court’s decision and threw out the suit.

In September 2008, the case ended for once and all after LA Superior Court judge Teresa Sanchez-Gordon gave the verdict that Marie did not present a valid case (via TODAY).

The ruling noted that the agreements dividing their assets, including a New York co-op apartment, a Jaguar coupe, an Agnes Martin painting, and other material things, were “valid and enforceable.”

Lisa Marie’s Allegations in Her Lawsuit Against Tim Burton

Tim Burton | Credits: @timburton / Instagram

TMZ obtained a copy of the palimony lawsuit that Lisa Marie filed against Tim Burton in 2006.

In the lawsuit, she claimed that a year after she and Burton started dating, Burton promised to take care of her financially for the rest of her life.

They also agreed to combine all of their assets.

However, she claimed that Burton ended their relationship in August 2001.

She shared in her suit, “This sudden, totally unexpected news devastated Plaintiff, who became extremely depressed and emotionally unstable for months thereafter.”

She claimed that Burton conspired with her financial advisors, her lawyer, and her friend, Cherry Vanilla, to make her feel as if she didn’t have a legal case against Burton.

She said in the suit:

They unconscionably played upon Plaintiff’s emotional weakness by continually telling her that she was facing poverty unless she entered into a settlement with Burton on terms acceptable to Burton.

She wanted to cancel the contract agreement and sought damages worth in excess of $25,000.

According to the outlet, she was allegedly paid $2.7 million alone for their New York apartment under the settlement conditions.

Lisa Marie appeared in several of Burton’s movies, including Mars Attacks, Ed Wood, and Planet of the Apes.

Tim Burton’s Dating History Besides Lisa Marie

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Tim Burton’s most recent relationship was with actress Monica Bellucci.

They met for the first time in 2006 at the Cannes Film Festival, but reconnected in October 2022 at the Lumière Film Festival.

The two of them sparked dating rumors when they were spotted together in Madrid (via PEOPLE).

They made their relationship official in 2023, and Burton even cast her in his film, Beetlejuice.

She told Elle, “It’s one of those encounters that rarely happens in life … I know the man, I love him and now I’m going to meet the director — another adventure begins.” However, things didn’t end well for the couple as they announced going their separate ways.

They released a joint statement in September 2025, sharing that they “have decided to part ways” after two years of their relationship (via PEOPLE).

Before Bellucci, Burton was in a long-term relationship with Helena Bonham Carter.

The Harry Potter actress and Burton dated from 2000 to 2014.

During their relationship, they welcomed son Billy in 2003 and daughter Nell in 2007.

They had an unusual living situation, where they lived in two houses next door to each other.

They built a hallway connecting the two houses.

When their relationship ended, Bonham addressed that it was a “very painful divorce” (via PEOPLE).

Burton’s only marriage was to Lena Gieseke in 1987.

The couple got divorced in 1991.

What do you think of Lisa Marie’s palimony lawsuit against Tim Burton? Let us know in the comments below!