Author Dan Brown sued by ex-wife, claims he led a 'double life'

Blythe Brown has accused her ex-husband, author Dan Brown, of incorrectly declaring their wealth so he can conduct extramarital affairs with other women during their marriage.

In legal documents filed with the Rockingham Superior Court in New Hampshire on Monday, Blythe alleges that the "Da Vinci Code" author "secretly siphoned" off large sums of money from their marital assets "to finance his activities with his mistresses." She claimed that he spoiled a Dutch horse trainer known by the initials "JP" with extravagant gifts including a two-horse transport truck, a new car, and a prize-winning Friesian horse named "LimiTed Edition" priced at $345,000.

She said his affair with the Dutch Fresian horse specialist started in 2014 while she recuperated from shoulder surgery at their New Hampshire home. Blythe said she brought "JP" to the U.S. in 2013 so she could train their Fresian horse.

This was supposedly the time when Dan "started to act distant, dressed differently, and instigated arguments... over inconsequential matters for no apparent reason." He eventually asked for a separation in 2018 and they divorced in 2019 after 23 years of marriage.

The lawsuit revealed that Blythe confronted her husband about the wire transfers in January and he admitted he had extramarital affairs. Not just with the horse trainer but also with a hairdresser and a "political official." He said his relationship with the trainer will continue.

"The net effect of these transgressions substantially reduced the marital estate," read the lawsuit obtained by the Boston Globe.

Blythe likewise accused Dan of "misrepresenting" their wealth in sworn financial affidavit he signed as part of their divorce settlement, and "for intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress." He lied about a million-dollar deal he made with NBCUniversal on the series "Langdon," based on the novels they "created together."

"This lawsuit is about standing up for myself and asserting my self-worth. I have continually tried to absorb the shocking truth withheld during our divorce that Dan had been leading a double life for years during our marriage, all while coming home to me," Blythe said in a statement sent to the publication.

"I trusted this man for decades as my life's love. We worked so hard together, struggling to build something meaningful... I don't recognize the man that Dan has become," she continued adding," It is time to reveal his deceit and betrayal. After so much pain, it is time for truth. It is time to right these wrongs."

Blythe's attorney J. Wolkoff, Boston head of Quinn Emanuel, said in a statement that his client "agreed to a quiet divorce last year" and she only learned afterwards that "for years, he had been deceiving her. Blythe asks that her ex-husband be held accountable for his dishonesty. She hopes for a legal reckoning with the harm inflicted by his conduct."

Dan, on the other hand, told the publication that he was truthful in declaring their assets at the time of their divorce. He also refuted Blythe's claims that he hid assets during their marriage and expressed his sadness at the turn of events in their divorce.