A wife who sacrificed her career when she married has won her claim in divorce proceedings that she was entitled to a half share of the marital assets, amounting to several million pounds.

The case involved a couple who were both accountants and high earners when they met.

They married in 2007 and had two children. The wife gave up her career, which had been on what the judge described as an “immensely successful trajectory” to concentrate on her family.

When the couple decided to divorce, the husband offered a lump sum of £3.54m on the basis that it was enough to meet her needs. However, she argued that the couple’s marital assets should be divided equally to compensate her for having sacrificed her career.

The court found in her favour.

Judge Francis said: “Any analysis of this case must conclude that the wife terminated what was already a glittering career at the age of only thirty-seven, for reasons directly connected with her relationship with the husband.

“In my judgement if this is not marriage-generated disadvantage, then that concept has no place in our law.

“I have no difficulty in finding that it is more likely than not that but for the sacrifices referred to above, the wife would now have very substantial wealth held in her own name.”

The couple’s marital assets were assessed as £13,789,582. The judge ordered that this should split on a fifty-fifty basis.

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Source:

AT v BT
EWHC 3531
November, 2023
Francis J