From wife to a housekeeper? A millionaire in London sure had a unique concept of domestic bliss – He divorced his wife, moved his girlfriend into the home, and asked his ex-wife to stay on as a housekeeper.
The ex-wife disapproved of this arrangement and so did the judge, who awarded half of the man’s fortune to her.
After 20 years of marriage, the couple, who married in the late 1970s, decided to part ways. Treating the divorce decree as “just a piece of paper”, they continued living together.
The arrangement changed drastically when the wealthy man, who is in his 70s, met another woman. According to the presiding judge, “The husband installed the other woman and her 12-year-old daughter into the marital home. When the man asked his former wife, who is in her 50s, if she would remain in the home ‘as some sort of housekeeper,’ she found the suggestion ‘very demeaning and upsetting.’”
The dispute wound up in court, leaving the millionaire in a daze over the fact that his ex-wife had become so aggressive. Previously, he had threatened to take his own life or go on a hunger strike if she pursued legal action, but that claim apparently wasn’t enough to dissuade her from going to her lawyers.
Ultimately, the judge ruled that under these unique circumstances, there was no difference between the couple’s relationship pre- or post-divorce, and that the ex-wife was entitled to half of the businessman’s fortune, which totals to about $22 million US dollars.
Additionally, the judge set aside a signed agreement between the two that would have netted the wife/cohabitant about $6 million on grounds that she signed it under duress.
Commenting that this living arrangement is generally unheard of, a UK family law expert noted that “if a person did not make a financial claim on their partner at the time of the divorce they are entitled to do so at any point before they are remarried” and that the spousal assets are very likely to be split 50-50 after a long marriage.
If you divorced your spouse after a long-term marriage, would you still live together with him? Are there any circumstances in which you would?
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