Judge Makes Netflix Password Part of Divorce Settlement

When a judge asked Ladan Richardson what she wanted from her divorce, she had three requests: the car, the dog, and her ex-husband's Netflix password.

The first two were serious. The third was meant as a joke to lighten the moment during a grueling November 2022 court hearing.

But the judge didn't wave it off. When Richardson's official divorce settlement arrived, there it was in black and white: permanent access to her ex's Netflix account, legally binding and enforceable.

"I wasn't trying to be cruel or vindictive," Richardson, 33, told Newsweek. "It was one small thing at the end of a really heavy process."

What makes the story even better? Her ex has never changed the password. Whether from forgetfulness, indifference, or respect for the paperwork, he's kept the account accessible for the past two years.

Richardson says the request wasn't about revenge. It was about salvaging one small, faintly ridiculous thing from a proceeding designed to divide up a life.

"Divorce can take so much from you all at once," she said. "It was one small thing that made a heavy process feel lighter."

Why This Inspires

This story captures something deeply human about difficult transitions. Richardson found a way to inject humor into one of life's hardest moments without cruelty or bitterness.

Her approach reminds us that even in serious situations, a little levity can make the unbearable feel more manageable. Sometimes the smallest gestures, the ones that make us smile, help us get through.

Family lawyers warn against trying this at home. Katherine Miller of the Miller Law Group notes that streaming services can rebrand or merge, making specific password clauses hard to enforce later.

But Richardson's arrangement works not because a court could force it, but because her ex simply lets it stand. Two people formally ended their marriage, and years later, one tiny absurd connection remains.

In the end, Richardson got her car, her dog, and a story that perfectly captures how grace and humor can coexist with heartbreak.