'Occupy Wall Street' Mom Gives Up Custody of Kids, Earns $85K in Divorce Settlement
Protesting on Wall Street is about to net Stacey Hessler a big payday. The mother of four has officially given up custody of her four children and divorced her husband, which will provide her with a $85,385 settlement.
Hessler, formerly married to banker Curtiss, has been protesting with Occupy Wall Street for nearly one year and listed "protester" on court papers, the New York Post reported. She also listed her employer as "Occupy Wall Street." Curtiss filed for divorce citing "irreconcilable differences" after 19 years.
Curtiss will keep custody of all four children: Peyton, 18; Kennedy, 16; Sullivan, 14; and Veda, 8. He will also keep the house and take care of the remaining mortgage.
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"The children will be under primary care of their father," settlement papers stated, though Stacey can see the children when "they want to see her" and only if they are in a "safe environment."
Stacey's last known whereabouts included sleeping in Zucotti Park along with a handful of dedicated Occupy protestors. It's something she felt she absolutely had to do and is not ashamed of leaving her family in order to protest Wall Street.
"Military people leave their families all the time, so why should I feel bad? I'm fighting for a better world," she once replied when asked why she would just leave her family.
The public has been critical of Stacey's decision, saying she "cashed out her children. She said she was 'fighting for a better world,' and yet she destroyed her family's world," noted Post reader Kitty Myers.
When Curtiss was asked by the Post about the divorce and settlement, he responded with a curt, "No comment."
"It hasn't been easy on the guy," a friend explained.
