Our Family law solicitors based in our London City and West End explore the implications for financial arrangements arising out of divorce proceedings following the Supreme Court decision in Wyatt c. Vince, 2015 UKSC 14.
In this case the Supreme Court allowed an ex-wife to bring a claim against her ex-husband 22 years after being divorced. The couple were penniless at the time but years later Mr Vince made a fortune in the renewable energy business while Ms Wyatt and the children endured a life on the bread line. At the time of the divorce their financial arrangements had not been settled by a court order, giving Ms Wyatt the prospect of a claim years later.
Ms Wyatt still faces an uphill struggle in making her claim, and is unlikely to receive anywhere near the 1.9 million pounds she asked for, but Mr Vince still has to face the claim and incur huge costs in doing so. The case highlights the importance of putting in place legally binding financial settlements at the time of divorce, even if it appears then that there are no assets to speak of. Parties are then enabled to move on without fear of claims in later life.
Nous examinons plus en détail certaines de ces questions juridiques dans l'analyse ci-dessous. Si vous avez déjà vécu un divorce et que vous ne disposez pas d'une ordonnance financière (généralement appelée “ ordonnance par consentement ”), il est vivement recommandé de réexaminer votre situation à la lumière de cette évolution.
Our Family law solicitors based in our London City and West End offices are available to assist you should you which to discuss the implications of this case or take any family law advice. Please contact on 020 7613 1402 and ask to speak to:
Rachel Duke
Daniel Martinez
Melissa Rutherford
Analyse de l'affaire Wyatt c. Vince (UKSC 14)
Contexte
The Supreme Court considered this appeal made by Ms Wyatt against her former husband Mr Vince, who is now a multi-millionaire.
Ms Wyatt and Mr Vince met and married in 1981 and had one child together Dane, now aged 31. Mr Vince also treated Ms Wyatt’s daughter Emily from a previous relationship as a child of their family. The parties separated in 1984 and were eventually divorced in 1992. After the divorce Ms Wyatt subsisted on state benefits or when her health allowed, on wages earned during periods of low paid employment. She also went on to have two more children. The three adult children who resided with her could only make modest financial contributions to the running of the house and they were living in a local authority propriété in Monmouth which had fallen into disrepair.
En revanche, après son divorce, M. Vince a passé quelques années à mener une vie de nomade ‘ new age ’ et à approfondir son intérêt de longue date pour les énergies vertes. En 1996, il a installé sa première éolienne et a fondé la société « Ecotricity Group Ltd ». Cette entreprise fournit aujourd’hui de l’électricité verte à au moins 70 000 foyers et entreprises à travers le Royaume-Uni et sa valeur est estimée à 57 millions de livres sterling.
En 2011, Mme Wyatt a saisi le tribunal pour obtenir une aide financière de la part de son ex-mari. Elle a demandé le versement d'une somme forfaitaire de 1,9 million de livres sterling ainsi que des versements provisoires destinés à couvrir ses frais de justice.
Le tribunal a reconnu que le dossier judiciaire original datant de 1992 avait été égaré et qu'aucune décision relative à une compensation financière n'avait été rendue. Il a également été reconnu que Mme Wyatt était en mauvaise santé.
In response Mr Vince applied to have her claim struck out on the basis that her case had no merit, was unreasonable and an abuse of legal process. In contrast to the Civil Procedure Rules, the Family Procedure Rules did not have a provision for summary judgment.
The High Court dismissed Mr Vince’s application and accepted that he had not provided adequate child assistance for his son, or maintenance for Ms Wyatt. On occasion he had given her £200 per month and had provided her with some second hand cars. The High Court awarded Ms Wyatt an interim costs allowance payment of £31,250 per month for four months. Mr Vince then appealed this decision to the Court of Appeal who struck out Ms Wyatt’s application and ordered her to repay part of the money received. Ms Wyatt then appealed this decision to the Supreme Court, the highest court of England & Wales.
Les questions juridiques
On the legal issues and in particular the strike out application on the basis that the application did not have a reasonable prospect of success, the Supreme Court carefully considered the Family Procedure rules against its parent being the Civil Procedure Rules. At paragraph 19 Lord Wilson summarised the position as follows:
“…The family rules came into force on 6 April 2011 and, prior to the decision of the Court of Appeal in the present case, there was no reported authority on the construction of Rule 4.4. So far as is material, the rule, which does not apply to proceedings in relation to children, provides:
“ (1) … le tribunal peut radier un mémoire si, à son avis –
- that the statement of case discloses no reasonable grounds for bringing or defending the application;
- ” […] que la requête constitue un abus de procédure ou est susceptible, d’une autre manière, d’entraver le bon déroulement de la procédure […] »
Pour interpréter les expressions “ absence de motifs raisonnables ” et “ abus de procédure ”, la Cour s’est fondée sur la directive pratique 4A, qui dispose que :
“ 2.1 Voici quelques exemples de cas dans lesquels le tribunal peut conclure qu’une demande relève de la règle 4.4(1)(a) –
- those which set out no facts indicating what the application is about;
- celles qui sont incohérentes et n'ont aucun sens ;
- those which contenir a coherent set of facts but those facts, even if true, do not disclose any legally recognisable application against the respondent.
2.2 Une requête peut relever de la règle 4.4(1)(b) lorsqu’elle ne peut être justifiée, par exemple parce qu’elle est frivole, diffamatoire ou manifestement dépourvue de fondement.”
The test for striking out a claim under 4.4 was not analogous to the summary judgment test in the civil jurisdiction. Jackson LJ was wrong “ faire entrer dans la notion d’abus de procédure visée à l’article 4.4(1)(b) du règlement sur les affaires familiales une demande d’ordonnance financière qui n’a aucune chance réelle d’aboutir ”. Son absence des règles de procédure en matière familiale était délibérée.
Further the meticulous duty of the family courts pursuant to section 25 (1) Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 was inconsistent with the concept of summary judgement as it was necessary for the Family Courts in determining the application to have consideration of all of the circumstances including the eight matters of 25 (2) Matrimonial Causes Act 1973.
La Cour suprême a estimé que la règle 4.4(1) du règlement en matière familiale devait être interprétée sans tenir compte du critère des « chances réelles de succès » et a fait droit à la demande d'appel de Mme Wyatt
La Cour a ensuite formulé, à titre accessoire, des observations sur certaines difficultés prévisibles liées à l'application de cette disposition.
Les observations factuelles
The relationship broke down 31 years ago and the marital cohabitation lasted for scarcely more than 2 years. Mr Vince did not begin to create his wealth until 13 years after the marital breakdown and Ms Wyatt made no direct or indirect contribution to the creation of this wealth.
The amount Ms Wyatt is claiming £1.9m is excessive and unlikely to be awarded, but the court recognises that she has raised some valid and significant points. She had made the sole financial contribution to the welfare of the family, specifically her care of Dane for a period of 16 years after the separation and also for Emily from 1984 to 1994 and 1995 to 1997 when she became an adult, continuing in her adulthood.
The Supreme Court ruled that Ms Wyatt should be given the opportunity to argue why Mr Vince should now financially assist her. This does not mean that Ms Wyatt va receive a substantial settlement, or even that she will receive a settlement at all.
(Please note: This article was originally published on our previous website and is provided for general information purposes only. While it reflects the legal position at the time of writing, the law may have changed since publication. For up-to-date advice tailored to your circumstances, please contact our team.)
