Supreme Court ruling shows that lying will not be tolerated in family matters

Where separating couples are dividing their finances, they must give ‘full and frank’ disclosure of their financial positions. This is so that everyone involved (including the family court) has a complete picture of both parties’ circumstances, so that a fair decision can be made.

In these two recent cases, wives said that they had received an unfair financial settlement because their husbands had been dishonest about their finances. The original financial court proceedings in these two cases had taken place in 2012 and 2014 respectively.

In allowing the appeals of these two wives, the Supreme Court has showed that lying in family cases will not be tolerated, and that if parties have not been completely open, they will be found out.

This is reassuring for anyone who feels that their ex-partner is concealing their finances, and show that the court takes dishonesty in family matters just as seriously as fraud in any other context.

These cases also show that if the court has made a decision based on false information, it can be overturned. These cases could open the door to many other people who feel that their ex-partners have deceived the court, and have suffered as a consequence.

You can find out more about divorce and resolving finances from our Knowledge Centre. If you are affected by these issues and would like some advice, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us on +44 (0)20 3701 5915.

 

Tags: civil partnership dissolution, divorce, false information, financial remedies, lying, Natalie Gamble Associates, non-disclosure, same sex couples, same sex couples divorce, same sex couples lawyer, Supreme Court, Suzi Denton