LEGAL FILE

Arias of Divorce: Is fame a piece of property that can be divided in a divorce case? The ex-husband of mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade thinks so, and a possible precedent-setting property settlement will be heard on appeal today in the Appellate Division of New York State Supreme Court. In September, a lower court in Manhattan found against the ex, Peter Elkus, who argued that he was entitled to a share of the 45-year-old Von Stade’s star value as “marital property” because he had contributed to her “enhanced celebrity status” by acting as her voice teacher and adviser.