Our family law team achieved a significant victory by securing over $6 million in matrimonial assets for a homemaker wife after a challenging a protracted divorce case that spanned six years. Throughout the 20-year marriage, the couple spent a decade living apart, during which time the husband amassed a substantial amount of wealth. Initially, the ex-husband sought to exclude these assets from the marital estate to avoid division.
Represented by our lawyers Dorothy Tan and Charlene Nah, the ex-wife faced off against a formidable legal team of six, including a Senior Counsel, representing her ex-husband. The legal battle, which began in 2018 and culminated in an appeal to the Appellate Division of the High Court in 2024, centered on the exclusion of company shares acquired by the husband during the separation, valued at over $12 million. Had these assets been excluded, the ex-wife would have received no share of them.
Dorothy Tan and Charlene Nah argued that all assets acquired up to the date of the divorce, including the company shares, should be considered part of the marital estate. They contended that both parties continued to contribute to the marriage in their respective roles during the separation, maintaining a semblance of the marital partnership. The court agreed, emphasising that considering a marriage to end at separation would introduce unnecessary complexity into future cases.
The judgment recognised the 20-year marriage, which produced an adult child, and the subsequent 10-year separation before the divorce proceedings began in 2018.
