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- The parties married in 2004, separated in 2015 and the decree absolute of divorce was granted in 2019. The three children lived with the mother and had only indirect contact with the father. DJ Graham Keating found that their housing needs were being met, albeit imperfectly, by living in the former matrimonial home (FMH). He considered whether the income disparities and needs justified spousal maintenance. Although the mother had not been transparent about her resources, and the parties' litigation history strongly suggested that a clean break and the avoidance of subsequent litigation was very desirable, the mother would be responsible for the care of the children, for housing, feeding, schooling and clothing them. The district judge decided to grant the mother a 48.9% share of the father's 1995 pension, made no order for spousal maintenance, and left the beneficial interest of two properties with the mother and one with the father. He ordered the sale of the FMH, but this would not take effect provided that the mother secured the father's release from the mortgage, and paid him all costs awards from these proceedings, plus interest. If that were done within two years, the FMH need not be sold and the father would transfer his legal and beneficial interest in it to her. The father sought his costs of the FDR, and relied on a schedule of costs totalling £8,468. The district judge ordered that the mother should pay £7,388. The father also claimed for costs for the remainder of the proceedings. The district judge, quoting Mostyn J in OG v AG [2020] EWFC 52 ("if, once the financial landscape is clear, you do not openly negotiate reasonably, then you will likely suffer a penalty in costs") found that each of the factors in FPR 28.3(7)(a), (b), (d) and (e) justified an award of costs in favour of the father, the mother's evidence having been "elusive and evasive" as to her income. The mother was ordered to pay £9,000 towards the father's costs since the FDR. Judgment, 04/07/2021, free
- A judgment that, Knowles J said, endeavoured to provide a clear context for the claims brought by the former wife against some of the eleven respondents, and to then analyse and determine those claims, having taken account of a mass of documentary and oral evidence. The wife had been the victim of a series of schemes designed to put every penny of the husband’s wealth beyond her reach, a strategy designed to render her powerless by ensuring that, if she did not settle her claim for financial relief following their divorce on the husband’s terms, there would be no assets left for her to enforce against. Knowles J's decision was as follows. To grant relief to the wife against Counselor Trust: (a) as trustee of the Genus Trust, in the sum received from Cotor, the best estimate of which was US$650 million; (b) as trustee of the Arbaj Trust, US$36,624,946, CHF 4,000,000 and £1 million ; (c) as trustee of the Ladybird Trust, US$46,752,468, CHF 1,287,078.50, €76,918 and £128,100; and (d) as trustee of the Carnation Trust, US$455,363,485, and CHF 10,000; with joint and several liability where relevant to avoid double recovery. She granted relief to the wife against Sobaldo Establishment, in its capacity as trustee of the Longlaster Trust, in the sum of US$546,735,165. The relief granted against the eldest son, Temur, was (a) US$67,500,000 in respect of the claim for transfers of the Monetary Assets to him from Cotor in 2015 and 2016; (b) US$31,499,998 in respect of the claim for receipt of Monetary Assets previously held by Counselor Trust and/or Sobaldo Establishment between 2017 and 2019; and (c) RUB 531,560,331 in respect of the claim in respect of a Moscow property. His oral evidence had been preceded by his belated admissions of having significantly breached his disclosure obligations, described by Knowles J as "lamentable litigation conduct". She also granted the wife relief against Borderedge Ltd in the sum of €27,500,021.38. Judgment, 02/05/2021, free
- Two barristers had separated in January 2019. The husband wished an immediate order for sale of the family home to be made, to enable him to enforce his entitlement to £250,000 plus statutory interest. The wife hoped for a finding that the entire order approving a previous agreement should be set aside, with the effect of putting the case back to square one with all arguments re-opened. HHJ Edward Hess reached a clear view that the facts of this case did not pass the "setting aside" test from Walkden v Walkden [2010] 1 FLR 174: "given the importance attached to finality in settlements of this nature, the circumstances must be truly exceptional before a capital settlement can be re-opened". After considering the fairness of the parties' suggested scenarios, he decided in the end that making an order for sale, but delaying its implementation, would be the scenario most likely to give both parties some prospect of a reasonable financial future. Judgment, 18/03/2021, free
- A judgment on the trial of a claim under CPR Part 8 for declaratory relief as to the beneficial interests in a large country house in Oxfordshire. The couple, in their 50s and unmarried at the time, had caused the Property to be conveyed into their joint names with no declaration of trust. The male partner (and claimant) had paid the whole of the purchase price. The couple had split up soon afterwards, but the female partner had continued to use the property from 2009 until 2018. Deputy Master Hansen concluded that some of the male partner's evidence was unreliable, certain discussions having been misremembered. Nothing he had done or said at the material time could or would have caused his partner to think that he intended anything other than that they would own the property jointly at law and in equity, intending that, on the death of one of them, the surviving joint tenant would become the sole owner by right of survivorship. The parties' post-acquisition conduct was not such as to warrant any inference or imputation varying the beneficial interests. However, Deputy Master Hansen considered it just for the female partner to pay an occupation rent of £59,958 to the claimant, due to the times at which she had excluded him and his new partner from the property for her exclusive use. The claimant was ordered to pay 90% of the defendant's costs of the action, to be subject to detailed assessment if not agreed. Judgment, 18/03/2021, free
- The husband and wife had been engaged in highly acrimonious and litigious financial remedy proceedings since late 2019. This hearing concerned the husband's application for the wife to pay, on an indemnity basis, his costs of a preliminary issue regarding the beneficial ownership of five ships and whether the couple were indebted to the second to sixth respondents. The latter issue had been settled following a payment from those respondents to the wife. Lieven J stated that the wife's conduct had been "fairly extraordinary". She had alleged a conspiracy to defraud her of millions of pounds of matrimonial assets, and then decided not to pursue those allegations, having already put the husband to enormous expense and depriving him of the chance to clear his name. It was a basic principle, said Lieven J, that fraud should not be pleaded without sufficient evidence. Where a party pleaded fraud, and then withdrew that claim, the argument that they should pay the other party's costs was even stronger than in the withdrawal of other types of claim. The wife would pay the husband's costs of and occasioned by the preliminary issues on an indemnity basis. Judgment, 15/01/2021, free
- Following the separation of the claimant and the first defendant, the claimant sought a declaration that she was beneficially entitled to 50% of a number of properties held by the defendants, either under a common intention constructive trust or a partnership, and for relief under ss 994 and 996 of the Companies Act 2006 on the grounds of unfair prejudice. Tom Leech QC (sitting as a judge of the Chancery Division), found the first defendant to be an unsatisfactory witness, his evidence being inconsistent with key documents. He had made a conscious decision to ignore the undertakings which he had given to the claimant. After a detailed consideration of the facts, the judge declared that the claimant had a 50% interest in some of the properties, with the first defendant ordered to account for various sums of money, and to pay her all sums due. Judgment, 22/12/2020, free
- The claimant and the first defendant had lived together for most of the time between 1990 and 2011, although the first defendant denied that they had been in a committed relationship. Upon being asked to leave, the claimant had asserted a beneficial interest in the property in which they lived, and an agreement had been reached whereby he would be paid £250,000 in return for withdrawing that claim. The money in question had not been paid, but the first defendant argued that the conditions necessary for payment had not been met. Deputy Judge Robin Vos found that, taking all the evidence into account, it was clear that the two of them had a long-term, committed relationship which went well beyond being good friends, but the claimant had not had a beneficial interest in the property. The agreement made was binding and valid, but the defendant's obligation to pay was conditional on him receiving a gift or inheritance from his father, and this had not happened. The claims were thus dismissed in their entirety. Judgment, 17/12/2020, free
- A second appeal as to whether the claimant had established that she had a 50% beneficial interest as an equitable co-owner in a house in Bolton. The first appeal had decided that she did not. She had lived there from 2000 to 2012 with the defendant, to whom the claimant's father had transferred the legal title for nil consideration in 2008. The couple had not been married. Henderson LJ considered that although the district judge had misdirected herself in relation to the requirement of detrimental reliance, it was sufficiently clear from her findings and the contemporary documents that the requirement was in fact satisfied. The appeal was therefore allowed on that basis. The claimant had agreed to the property being transferred into the defendant's sole name, when the previous intention had been for a transfer into joint names, and had given her consent due to the defendant's false representation that he would otherwise be unable to obtain a mortgage. David Richards and Nugee LJJ agreed. Judgment, 07/12/2020, free
- A short judgment dealing with an ancillary dispute. After a final order had been approved, a question remained as to what security should be provided by the husband. The parties had failed to agree the terms of the security. Lieven J identified disputes as to (a) whether the security should be discharged when the lump sum against which it was charged was paid; (b) the precise terms of the charges; and (c) the particular properties to be charged. She decided that once the lump sum in question had been paid the security in respect of that lump sum would be discharged. The properties to form the security would be as set out in the consent order. She approved the charge drawn in the form drafted by the husband, with his amendments being applied but not the wife's. In her view, the issues around security had spiralled entirely out of control, but she made no order for costs, it not being possible to tell on the material before her where any unreasonable conduct lay. Judgment, 08/10/2020, free
- The husband appealed from a financial remedy order made in February 2020, on the ground that the judge had failed to assess or take into account the husband's needs and only considered the wife's needs. Part of the order had been for the husband to sell a property in Miami, with the wife to receive the lump sum. The day before the hearing the court – and the husband's own solicitors – learned that the husband's beneficial interest in that property had been transferred to his mother. In Moylan LJ's view, the judge had been entitled to take the husband's litigation conduct into account. The disparity in outcome could be justified in this case. The judge had found that the burden of maintaining the children was likely to be met by the wife. Moylan LJ did not accept the submission that the judge's consideration of the husband's needs had been inadequate. Patten LJ and Newey LJ agreed. The appeal was dismissed. Judgment, 25/09/2020, free