Divorce Settlement Case to go to Supreme Court

A woman who is attempting to have her divorce settlement set aside on the grounds of dishonesty has won the right to take her case to the Supreme Court, reports the Daily Mail.

Alison and Charles Sharland married in 1993 and divorced in 2012. The couple were very wealthy, with Mr Sharland running a successful business during the course of the marriage.

When the couple divorced, Mrs Sharland agreed to a settlement of £10.35 million in cash and properties, plus 30% of the value of Mr Sharland’s shares in his company when it floated on the stock market. Mr Sharland received a smaller share of the money and property (£5.64 million), but kept 70% of the value of the shares. 

Mrs Sharland now claims that her ex-husband deliberately misled her about the value of his company.

At the time of the settlement, Mr Sharland’s shares were apparently estimated at around £7 million. However, the company was subsequently valued much higher, and as a result Mr Sharland’s shares were worth around £150 million.

The High Court and Court of Appeal rejected Mrs Sharland’s claim to have her settlement revalued, stating that even though her ex-husband had been dishonest, the outcome of the settlement would not have been substantially different.

The case will now go to the Supreme Court to determine whether the fact of Mr Sharland’s dishonesty must render the original settlement ‘unjust’, reports the Daily Mail.

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