Los Angeles:
The former wife of a multibillionaire US oilman lost an appeal over a nearly $1 billion divorce settlement Tuesday -- because she had already cashed the check.
Oklahoma's top state court ruled in favor of oilman Harold Hamm and against his ex-wife Sue Ann, who received $995,481,842 under a ruling last November, settling one of the most expensive divorce cases in US history.
The ex-wife "deposited the check," said the ruling, posted online, adding that the 69-year-old oilman's "motion to dismiss (his ex-wife's) appeal is hereby granted."
Hamm's ex-wife had appealed for a larger share of her former husband's wealth.
Hamm is one of America's richest people. His 68-percent stake in Continental Resources is worth nearly $14 billion, according to Forbes.
Time magazine included him in its 2012 list of the 100 most influential people, noting how he had grown his business through the use of hydraulic fracturing (fracking).
The couple were married in 1988.