Amy Berry provides practical points on seeking to extend time under s4 of the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 It is of fundamental import to remember that the divorce fiction, to which the pre-acquired/non-matrimonial asset issue relates, is only one aspect of the s3 criteria that the court must weigh when considering …
Continue reading "The 1975 Act: Applying the principles"
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Wills & Trusts Law Reports | Summer 2021 #183The claimant was the 50-year-old widow of the deceased. She brought a claim for reasonable financial provision to be made for her from the estate of her late husband, Ian Wooldridge.
The first, second and third defendants were the executors of the estate and adopted a neutral stance. The fourth defendant was the deceased’s 28-year-old son from a previous marriage, and the fifth defendant was the deceased’s 12-year-old son.
There was some dispute over the value of the estate and the claimant’s entitlement under the deceased’s homemade last will, but a...
Rebecca Viola summarises the approach taken to trust assets introduced into a marriage and the factors that will be taken into account by the court as to the nature of such assets Property or assets owned by a party which derive from a source outside the marriage will not per se be excluded from the …
Continue reading "Non-matrimonial assets: To mingle or not to mingle?"
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Nicola Wilburn-Shaw looks at the role of the forensic accountant in financial remedy proceedings, including potential issues that may be explored and possible solutions Practitioners should be alive to the relevance of Covid-19 and experts will most certainly, and indeed should, now incorporate a valuation in relation to both the pre and post Covid-19 trading …
Continue reading "Forensic experts: In-depth analysis"
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Moji Sobowale examines non-matrimonial assets and the differing approaches to such assets that have developed in case law ‘The court has a wide discretion as to how to arrive at a fair apportionment of the capital assets and can simply apply a broad assessment of the division that would affect “overall fairness“.‘ The Court of …
Continue reading "Non-matrimonial property: Diverging views"
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Kathryn Mason reviews the approach to pension assets accrued prior to marriage, including the significance of needs ‘Pension contributions made prior to the marriage fall into the category of assets that have not been “the financial product of or generated by the endeavours during the marriage”.’ This article considers the courts’ treatment of pre-marital pension …
Continue reading "Pensions: Balancing fairness"
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Wills & Trusts Law Reports | Autumn 2017 #169AAZ (W) applied for financial orders ancillary to her divorce from BBZ (H). H was the sole director of the second respondent C Ltd, a Cypriot registered company and the trustee of a Bermudian Discretionary Trust (the trust). P Ltd, the third respondent, is a Panamian company which H said was within the trust. P Ltd was said to hold the bulk of the wealth in the case. None of the respondents took any part in the trial. H was in breach of several court orders, including one compelling his personal attendance for the duration of the trial.
H and W had been married since 1993 when the...
Kevin Danagher examines the High Court’s decision in Christoforou v Christoforou, and the approach to evidencing claims that are non-matrimonial ‘Non-matrimonial property provides the court with a reason to depart from equality, and in some cases fairness suggests that the party with non-matrimonial property should be allowed to keep it, subject to issues of need …
Continue reading "Non-Matrimonial Assets: The significance of origin"
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In the conclusion to a two-part analysis, Deborah Jeff considers the law on non-matrimonial assets and the key principles applied ‘While non-matrimonial property is subject to the sharing principle, it still typically results in a departure from equal sharing – anything from 0-100%.’ The first part of this article looked at the Privy Council decision …
Continue reading "Non-Matrimonial Property: Beyond reach?"
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Fiona Turner considers whether inherited wealth is more likely to result in a departure from equality than earned wealth ‘Assuming the parties’ needs are met, the courts may distinguish between different categories of non-matrimonial property.’ Parties on divorce usually have a strong claim to share in the matrimonial property that has been built up during …
Continue reading "Non-Matrimonial Assets: Further distinction"
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