Dotcom millionaire ordered to pay wife GBP 7 million divorce settlement
26 Jul 2010
A man who made an estimated GBP 14 million by developing a
healthcare information website has been ordered to pay his ex-wife
half of it by a judge at the Court of Appeal.
Robert and Sarah Jennings separated in 2007 and have been involved
in a legal battle over the
divorce settlement ever since.
In March 2010, Mr Justice Charles at the High Court decided that
the assets the couple owned jointly were worth GBP 14 million and
said Mr Jennings should divide them equally.
However, Mr Jennings took the case to an appeal after alleging that
the recession had left him in debt.
He insisted his Gloucestershire mansion was no longer valued at the
sum it was estimated to be worth by the court and said he and his
wife had spent GBP 6.4 million in ten years by living an
extravagant lifestyle.
Sarah Jennings argued that her ex-husband possessed GBP 9.5 million
in undisclosed assets and should therefore be held accountable for
the divorce settlement money.
This week, the Court of Appeal upheld the previous ruling, accusing
Mr Jennings of "flagrant, persistent and consistent" attempts to
disguise the remainder of his fortune.
He must now pay his ex-wife the GBP 7 million by September
2010.
Earlier in 2010, it was reported that the ex-wife of a barrister
had taken him to court over a divorce settlement, 25 years after
they originally split up.
David Vaughan had been paying Philippa Vaughan, 66, maintenance
until 2009 when a court ordered him to stop.
She insisted this has left her in hardship and that she needs GBP
48,000 a year to live the lifestyle she has been accustomed
to.
