A LEADING law firm says pre-nuptial wedding agreements could become "binding and enforceable" in England, after a woman described as a "career divorcee" dropped her claim for a share of her husband's £45 million fortune.
Mace & Jones family law partner Tina Dunn said the case of Susan Crossley, thought to be worth £18 million after three previous divorces to wealthy men, could have a major impact on English divorce law.
Ms Crossley abandoned her claim after a judge gave strong weight to a "pre-nup" between them. Last December, Lord Justice Thorpe, in the Appeal Court, described Mrs Crossley's claim as a "paradigm case" for pre-nups, which are currently not binding in English law. Mrs Crossley, 50, finally dropped her claim on the eve of a High Court hearing.
“This case could well change opinion in the courts that pre-nups deserve greater legal recognition,� said Mrs Dunn. “Such agreements are no longer considered to be the preserve of the "super rich�. As more people get remarried and younger professionals marry later there is a greater demand for pre-nups to protect finances.�
Mrs Crossley and property developer Stuart Crossley, 62, married in January 2006 following a whirlwind romance. After separating, she claimed their wedding contract was invalid because he had failed to tell her of "tens of millions" more in offshore accounts.
But Lord Justice Thorpe threw cold water on her claim, saying: "If ever there is to be a paradigm case in which the courts will look to the pre-nuptial agreement as not simply one of the peripheral factors of the case but a factor of magnetic importance it seems to me that this is such a case."
After Lord Justice Thorpe gave his judgement, Mr Crossley described his ex-wife - who has been married to the late racing magnate Robert Sangster, the Kwik Save heir Kevin Nicholson and the Skinner shoe chain heir Peter Lilley - as a "career divorcee". She denied the charge, saying she simply wanted out of "a very unhappy marriage".