24/05/2006

Ex-wives win Lords divorce ruling

The Law Lords have ruled in favour of the ex-wives in two multi-million pound divorce cases.

In the first case, the Law Lords upheld a ruling that awarded Melissa Miller £5 million of her husband Alan's £17.5 million fortune.

The couple had been married for three years and had no children.

Mr Miller had contested an earlier court ruling, after a judge ruled that Mrs Miller was entitled to the £5 million settlement because she married with "reasonable expectation" of a future wealthy lifestyle.

Mr Miller's adultery was also cited as a factor in the award.

In the second case, the Law Lords ruled that Julia McFarlane was entitled to receive £250,000 from her husband Kenneth for life.

She had appealed against an earlier ruling which had restricted the settlement to a five-year period.

Mrs McFarlane had argued that she gave up a high-earning career when she married her husband 18 years previously, in order to raise children.

The Law Lords will now provide guidance on how couples' assets should be split in a divorce case.

(KMcA)

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