£100m Divorce Case Tests English Pre-Nuptial Law |
In a landmark case a German heiress is taking her ex-husband to court to enforce a pre-nuptial agreement that would leave him without a penny of her £100 million fortune. Divorce lawyers are watching the case with interest since its outcome could pave the way for pre-nuptial contracts to become legally binding in English law.
The case is being brought by Karin Radmacher, a paper industry heiress and one of Germany’s wealthiest women. Ms Radmacher, 39, claims her former investment banker husband Nicholas Granatino, with whom she has two young children, has not honoured the pre-nuptial deal they signed before they married. The couple married in Britain in November 1998, having a few months earlier signed a pre-nuptial agreement, recognised in both Germany and France, in which they agreed neither would make a financial claim against the other.
However having separated in 2006 at a hearing in the High Court in July, judge Mrs Justice Baron ruled that it would be “manifestly unfair” to hold Mr Granatino to the pre-nuptial contract and ordered Ms Radmacher to pay her ex-husband £5.6 million one-off compensation. Ms Radmacher will go to the Court of Appeal to overturn that ruling in a case that has cost more than £1.1 million in legal fees. The case will determine if the agreement, which was signed in Germany, is valid in English courts.
Last changed: Jul 13 2009 at 8:58 AM
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