Ex-wife wins £27,500-a-month divorce deal from 'broke' property tycoon
MCP
By Claire Ellicott
A wife at the centre of a �400million divorce battle yesterday won �27,500 a
month in maintenance - after a court accepted that she needed to fund a
luxury lifestyle.
Michelle Young, 45, had demanded �60,000 a month from her estranged husband,
claiming that he had hidden his fortune to avoid paying a huge divorce
settlement.
At one stage, lawyers for Scot Young, 47, suggested he has debts of
�27million. They insisted he is facing bankruptcy and has been living on
�150-a-week hand-outs from friends.
But the tycoon was threatened with jail if he failed to provide the court
with a 'full and frank' record of his finances and yesterday a judge decided
to award his wife nearly half the �60,000 she had sought.
Setting the terms of Mrs Young's payment, Mrs Justice Black said the sums
the former model had asked for would be seen by some as 'exceptionally
generous'.
But she said she would 'bear in mind' the standard of living to which the
family were used to when awarding maintenance.
She added: 'It's not nearly as much as the wife would say she required, but
it's intended to be on top of rent and school fees.'
Mrs Young's victory came after papers shown to the court revealed that in
2004 to 2006, Mr Young had property and other investments worth �124million.
At the High Court yesterday, Mrs Justice Black said she was satisfied that
Mr Young had sufficient funds to pay maintenance and ordered him to pay the
sum on top of Mrs Young's �10,400 a month rent and her two daughters'
�36,000 annual school fees.
She said the figure would be revised if it was found to be insufficient at a
further hearing next May.
'The couple have historically lived a luxurious lifestyle on money made by
the husband in the course of his activities as an entrepreneur and property
dealer which enabled him to accumulate many millions of pounds,' the judge
said.
'Looking at the case as a whole I am entirely satisfied that the husband has
available monies to pay maintenance.'
Neither party attended yesterday's hearing.
Mrs Young, who claims her estranged husband is worth �400million, had
originally asked for �35,000, but had later increased this to �60,000. Of
this, �12,675 was to cover 'sports, entertainment and hobbies'.
The couple were married in 1995 and have two daughters, Scarlet, 17, and
Sasha, 15.
They separated in 2006 when Mrs Young returned to the UK. She petitioned for
divorce a year later.
Mrs Young claimed that during the long-running court case she had been
forced to move home with her daughters after her husband failed to pay her
any money.
The court heard she had received �1.2million from him since they split in
2006, the court heard, but Mr Young's lawyer said this had come from
'wealthy benefactors'.
Mr Young counts Topshop tycoon Sir Philip Green and Russian oligarch Boris
Berezovsky amongst his friends.
Following the court ruling yesterday, Mrs Young said: 'I am absolutely
relieved because this has been torture and tormented me and my children.
'I have said before that �400million is just the tip of the iceberg and I
stick to that.
'We have to wait and see if he pays it now but if he doesn't he will be in
serious trouble because the penal notice will go back on him.
'After not having any maintenance for 18 months at this stage I am relieved.
The sum is coming so that me and my children will be able to sleep better.
'My daughters and I are not looking for pity. We are looking for justice.'
This is another reason why women will always be seen as PARASITES and
therefore will NEVER have equality with men.
Poor rich girl. My heard bleeds. Just what is the court system for anyway?
- John, Llandudno, Wales, 18/12/2009 19:49
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Another gold digger. . . .what of the single mother who goes on redundancy?
Should she be entitled to government payments for all expenses, no matter
what the expense?? (i.e. 'sports, entertainment and hobbies') And the single
mother's children attending public schools, should they be placed in a
36,000 pound a year school? I agree that she should be paid a living wage,
perhaps 50,000 pounds a year, but lifestyle is no reason to pay her
exorbitant amounts like 27, 500 pounds a month. Let her get a job like the
rest of the divorced mothers in the UK are forced to do.
- William, Cambridge, UK, 18/12/2009 19:49
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'she needed to fund a luxury lifestyle.'
What was her lifestyle before she met him.
'�12,675 was to cover 'sports, entertainment and hobbies.'
How many activities per month does this cover. Who was it for the girls, or
her nails to be done.
I agree he should fund and take care of the girls, but if they are
divorcing, he shouldn't be expected to fund his ex wife.
- Alf, Staybridge, UK (What's left of it), 18/12/2009 19:44
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NO ONE needs that much money! Greedy b****r.
- kERRY, Summerville, SC, 18/12/2009 19:41
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if she needs to fund her lifesttyle why dont she get off her bum and get a
job
- ian, s yorkshire, 18/12/2009 19:39
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Why doesnt she work?
This makes me sick.
- BigBadMumma, Southern England, 18/12/2009 19:37
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Oh my, however will she cope, i would like to show her how much we live on a
month, and i am not even divorced. Some women make me sick. How about going
out to work and earning a wage like most of us have to do.
- Mona expat, FairmontUSA, 18/12/2009 19:33
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He should support his kids and she should get a job.
- John Ward, MCR, UK, 18/12/2009 19:30
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What the saying about a fool and his money
- MARCUS, NORTH WALES, 18/12/2009 19:30
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In 3 years since they split, she has received �1.2 million and she could not
manage with her daughters ? And apparently, it's not said anywhere she
helped him earn his money.
- Pierre Massias, Casablanca, Morocco, 18/12/2009 19:28
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The guy lied about his cash to the court
He should be done for trying to defeat the coarse of justice at least but
after saying that �27500 a month ..... yes well
- Frankiebhoy, UK, 18/12/2009 19:14
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I doubt her 2 daughters will ever do a day's work in their lives either with
a role model(sic) like her ....
The judge is an idiot.
- Beth, maidstone, 18/12/2009 19:12
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Fed up of hearing about this silly woman. Instead of cracking on with her
life and starting to live within her means, she's now 'relieved' to be
getting 30 grand a month to live on. It's never enough, is it dear?
- John B, Manchester, 18/12/2009 17:58
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