Wall Street Executive Sues Ex-Wife for $7 Million Over STD Claims

A New York City businessman is suing his soon-to-be ex-wife for $7 million, claiming he lost his job at Merrill Lynch over false allegations that he hired sex workers and had contracted numerous sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

Jean-Charles Beriau, a private wealth advisor with Morgan Stanley, is in the middle of a two-year-long divorce with New York dentist Thea Shive, his wife since 2005, according to a Jan. 21 New York Post report.

Beriau claimed he was forced to leave his position as a trader and hedge fund manager with Merrill Lynch, one he had held for more than 15 years, after his wife sent disparaging emails to his workplace, the Post reported.

Shive's alleged email messages were sent to Beriau's work email address, which was monitored internally by multiple co-workers at Merrill Lynch, according to the Post. One of Shive's emails claimed he had "bipolar disorder" and a "traumatic brain injury," and is "not capable of rational thought."

Another email accused Beriau of having three STDs: herpes, syphilis and trichomoniasis.

"There is no greater proof of your severe mental illness than the fact you continue to use my address when you get treatment for STD's [sic]," read the email, as reported by the Post.

The number of STD cases rose during the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Syphilis cases increased from 101,590 in 2017 to 171,074 in 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). One in 5 Americans has a sexually transmitted infection (STI), the CDC reports.

New York attorney Karen McGuire, who is representing Beriau, explained his client's decision to sue Shive.

"My client had no choice but every right to challenge the relentless attack on his professional and personal reputation," McGuire told Giddy. "His repeated attempts to have Dr. Shive cease and desist from making these false and salacious statements failed and despite his reluctance, was forced to commence this lawsuit."

Beriau's lawsuit claims his soon-to-be ex-wife was aware the email messages she sent him contained false allegations.

Giddy was unable to reach Shive for comment.