Despite
contributing nothing to their shared wealth, a divorcee has won her
battle to hold on to a £4.4-million share of her ex-husband’s ancestral
fortune.
After
separating with Anthony Arbuthnot Watkins Grubb in July 2009, Jennifer
Grubb was given a £1.65-million lump sum to meet her reasonable needs, a
£2-million nine-bedroom country house set in 40 acres of parkland,
£75,000 a year for child maintenance and other assets.
After a High Court judge described the couple’s wealth as
not the product of the endeavors of the couple, the judge agreed on the
division of the couple’s £12-million estate in August.
Mr. Grubb claimed he had contributed 100 percent to the
fortune and most of which has been in his family for years. Although Mr.
Grubb challenged the decision of the Court of Appeal, the original
judgment was upheld.
In big-money divorce cases, the ruling comes amid claims that courts have lost touch with the idea of ‘reasonable needs’ for wives.
Following the original High Court hearing, Mrs. Grubb was given Damerel, the couple’s former home
in North Chailey, East Sussex and £75,000 for renovations. The
three-storey house has large gardens, woodlands, lakes, a tennis court
and swimming pool.
The couple moved to the £2-million Mayes House in East Grinstead, West Sussex after a while. They have five children.
Representing Mr. Grubb, Jonathan Southgate said Mrs. Grubb’s award was exorbitant.
According to Southgate, the house is huge and far beyond her
reasonable needs. In addition, the couple’s children are already
grownups and are no longer living with them.
But Mrs. Grubb’s lawyer, Richard Anelay, said Mr. Grubb
should consider himself lucky to have lost only about a third of his
ancestral wealth. He told the court the wife’s award represented less
than 50% of the assets.
Manufacturing business was the source of the Grubbs’ wealth.
£700,000 is the estimated legal cost of Mr. and Mrs. Grubb’s divorce.
Find local divorce information, click here: https://www.divorcemag.com/findprofessional.php.
Add A Comment