In July 1999, a jury had already been sworn in White Plains when Liba Trejbal and Carl Icahn reached a divorce settlement. Nearly six years of litigation ended without a public accounting of the terms. I find that final confidentiality essential to her story, because it leaves a firm boundary around the financial speculation that has followed her name.
Liba was a ballerina from Czechoslovakia before becoming Icahn’s first wife. During their marriage, she was often called Liba Icahn. They had two children, Brett and Michelle. Her own life after the divorce is largely absent from the established public account.
A Ballerina With a Limited Public Biography
Liba was described as 28 when she met Carl in the summer of 1978. That places her birth around 1949 or 1950, depending on the date of the meeting and her birthday.
An exact birth date, hometown, school, or ballet company is not reliably established here. The description “ballerina from Czechoslovakia” is meaningful, but it cannot support an invented list of performances or training institutions.
Czechoslovakia was the country named in the account of her background at the time. Without a confirmed birthplace, I would not assign her to a particular present-day country or city within that former state.
No later teaching, business, foundation, or professional dance role is established for her. A private career may have existed, but the available biography does not describe it.
Marriage in March 1979
Liba and Carl met in 1978 and married in March 1979. A prenuptial agreement became central to their marriage and, later, its dissolution.
Her later legal position was that she had signed the agreement under duress because she was pregnant. That was her argument in challenging it, rather than a final court finding established by a completed trial.
The clearer dates are the March 1979 marriage and their son Brett’s birth on August 19, 1979.
| Date or period | Family milestone |
|---|---|
| Around 1949 or 1950 | Liba’s inferred birth period |
| Summer 1978 | She meets Carl Icahn |
| March 1979 | They marry |
| August 19, 1979 | Brett Icahn is born |
| October 1993 | Liba files for divorce and challenges the prenup |
| July 21, 1999 | The case settles in White Plains |
Their daughter, Michelle Celia Icahn, was also born during the family history, but her exact birth date is not established in the available account.
Carl Icahn and the Family Business Background
Carl Celian Icahn was born in New York City on February 16, 1936. His parents were Michael Icahn, a cantor and teacher, and Bella Schnall Icahn, also a teacher.
He graduated from Princeton in 1957 with a philosophy degree and briefly attended medical school before building his investing career. His public business history includes Icahn Enterprises, activist investing, and the 1985 takeover of TWA.
Those achievements explain the financial scale surrounding the divorce. They do not tell us Liba’s earnings, assets, or final settlement.
I think this separation is particularly necessary in biographies of former spouses. A publicly estimated fortune belongs to the person being valued. Marriage alone does not establish the other person’s ownership share or later wealth.
Brett and Michelle
Liba and Carl’s children are Brett Icahn and Michelle Celia Icahn Nevin. Brett has the more extensively documented public career.
Born on August 19, 1979, Brett attended Choate Rosemary Hall and Princeton. His early activities included a Goldman Sachs internship, directing art films, and founding Myelin Media in 2001. He joined Icahn Enterprises in 2002.
He later served on corporate boards and became involved in the family’s investing operations. In 2012, he was given management responsibility for a reported $3 billion. I would describe that as an investment management role, not as money paid to his mother or a measure of her wealth.
| Family member | Relationship to Liba | Established context |
|---|---|---|
| Carl Icahn | Former husband | Investor and businessman |
| Brett Icahn | Son | Investment and business career |
| Michelle Celia Icahn Nevin | Daughter | Parentage publicly established |
| Michael Icahn | Former father-in-law | Cantor and teacher |
| Bella Schnall Icahn | Former mother-in-law | Teacher |
Michelle’s independent career and private family life are not established in the available detail.
The Long Divorce Dispute
Liba filed for divorce in October 1993 and sought to set aside the prenuptial agreement. The dispute continued until July 1999, with lawyers William Beslow representing her and Jay Goldberg representing Carl.
In February 1999, Liba publicly objected to an offer she characterized as one-half of one percent of approximately $2.6 billion. That was her description of a rejected proposal. It was not the eventual settlement.
The case settled on July 21, 1999, after a jury had been sworn. Her lawyer characterized the result as fair and as recognizing her role as a wife and parent. Carl’s lawyer emphasized his client’s relief that the long dispute was ending.
The actual terms were confidential. I would not calculate the earlier offer and present that number as her award. The arithmetic might be easy; the conclusion would still be wrong.
Later Family Changes and an Unrecorded Private Life
Carl married Gail Golden later in 1999. Gail’s children from an earlier marriage were not Liba’s children. The later separation of Carl and Gail, described in 2025 family summaries, adds no confirmed event to Liba’s own life.
No verified later spouse, current occupation, personal financial disclosure, or public social account is established for Liba here. The public timeline becomes quiet after the divorce, and I would allow it to remain quiet rather than treat missing information as a puzzle that demands an invented answer.
FAQ
Who is Liba Trejbal?
She is a former ballerina from Czechoslovakia and the first wife of investor Carl Icahn. She was also known as Liba Icahn during their marriage.
When were Liba and Carl married?
They married in March 1979. Their divorce dispute began in 1993 and settled in July 1999.
Who are her children?
Her children with Carl are Brett Icahn and Michelle Celia Icahn Nevin.
How much was her divorce settlement?
The settlement terms were confidential. No reliable final amount is established, and an earlier rejected offer should not be confused with the outcome.
Is her exact age known?
Not precisely. Being described as 28 in summer 1978 implies a birth around 1949 or 1950, but an exact birthday is not confirmed.
