Woman receives PS4.25 million payout after 23 months of marriage

After a marriage that lasted 23 months, a woman has been awarded a PS4.25 million payout by a family court judge. The pair, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, married in Las Vegas in October 2011 before separating in September 2013.

The ex-husband, who is 25 years older than his ex-wife, is worth approximately PS37 million yet offered her a sum of almost PS2 million. The woman, however, requested a sum of PS6 million. The ex-husband complained that the amount of money he was ordered to pay was too high, however the challenge was dismissed by the High Court Judge.

Mr Justice Mostyn analysed the appeal at a hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in London, concluding that a 'legitimate' decision was made by Judge Wallwork.

The couple met in 2004 and had been in a relationship for several years before they married in 2011. They had originally planned to wed in 2007, but it was claimed that the man had 'called it off', forcing the Ukrainian woman to 'leave the country', effectively ending the relationship. The relationship was then rekindled in late 2010, and the pair married in late 2011 in the United States.

Judge Wallwork said that the man had a total worth of approximately PS35 million before the marriage, stating that they had a 'very high standard of living', with homes in Cheshire, Knightsbridge and Marbella worth a total of PS5 million. He said that the woman was unable to work due to health problems, and it was also heard in the court that the woman had suffered 'serious psychological harm' because of 'married life and its breakdown', and that her future earning potential was 'very uncertain'.

It was concluded by Mr Justice Mostyn that Judge Wallwork's decision on the case was a 'legitimate' one, stating: 'It may have been generous, and other judges may have awarded less, but both the assessment of the immediate capital need, and of the amount and duration of the quotidian need, were clearly within the legitimate bracket.'

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