Sauce for the Gander
I'm not sure of the basis for this legal judgment in the UK Supreme Court, but whatever it is I'm sure that Kathleen Taylor couldn't object if the authorities used the same underlying logic to recover the amount paid in welfare benefits to both sides of the family during the 1980s and 90s.
Because if Kathleen can seek money from her ex-partner after all this time and he becomes liable for child support and/or making a contribution towards everyday household bills, then surely what's sauce for the goose should be sauce for the gander - with the public purse recovering from any settlement the substantial cost of housing benefit, for example.
Dale Vince divorce ruling: Ex-wife of Ecotricity founder wins right to millionaire's riches – 23 years after they divorced
Dale Vince divorce ruling: Ex-wife of Ecotricity founder wins right to millionaire's riches – 23 years after they divorced
Landmark ruling could pave way for more claims
By HAZEL SHEFFIELD - The Independent
A former New Age traveller has won the rights to claim her former husband’s wind-power millions a decade after they separated, in a case that could spur others to seek cash acquired by ex-partners long after a divorce.
The Supreme Court ruled that Kathleen Wyatt's case should be analysed by a judge in the Family Division of the High Court. Justice Lord Wilson said that while Wyatt's £1.9 million claim was out of the question, there was a “real prospect” that she should get a “comparatively modest reward” from Dale Vince, even though she did not make the claim until nearly 20 years after they separated.
The pair met as students and married in 1981, when they were still in their early twenties. They lived as New Age travellers until the mid-1980s and divorced in 1992. Wyatt lived on benefits, while her former-partner Vince lived in an old ambulance.
Vince made his fortune after he invented a wind turbine made from recycled materials that he used to power his caravan. In 1995, Vince launched a green energy firm called Ecotricity off the back of the invention, based in Stroud.
He's since appeared in the Sunday Times Rich List and developed his own electric sports car, the Nemesis.
Wyatt did not lay claim to any of the multi-million pound fortune until 2011. A judge initially ruled that her claim should be considered, but three appeal judges blocked the decision in 2013. Five Supreme Court justices have now ruled in favour of Wyatt after analysing the case at a hearing in London in December.
Vince had argued that Wyatt's claim had been lodged too late. There is currently no time limit on financial settlements in divorce cases.
Additional reporting by the Press Association
A former New Age traveller has won the rights to claim her former husband’s wind-power millions a decade after they separated, in a case that could spur others to seek cash acquired by ex-partners long after a divorce.
The Supreme Court ruled that Kathleen Wyatt's case should be analysed by a judge in the Family Division of the High Court. Justice Lord Wilson said that while Wyatt's £1.9 million claim was out of the question, there was a “real prospect” that she should get a “comparatively modest reward” from Dale Vince, even though she did not make the claim until nearly 20 years after they separated.
The pair met as students and married in 1981, when they were still in their early twenties. They lived as New Age travellers until the mid-1980s and divorced in 1992. Wyatt lived on benefits, while her former-partner Vince lived in an old ambulance.
Vince made his fortune after he invented a wind turbine made from recycled materials that he used to power his caravan. In 1995, Vince launched a green energy firm called Ecotricity off the back of the invention, based in Stroud.
He's since appeared in the Sunday Times Rich List and developed his own electric sports car, the Nemesis.
Wyatt did not lay claim to any of the multi-million pound fortune until 2011. A judge initially ruled that her claim should be considered, but three appeal judges blocked the decision in 2013. Five Supreme Court justices have now ruled in favour of Wyatt after analysing the case at a hearing in London in December.
Vince had argued that Wyatt's claim had been lodged too late. There is currently no time limit on financial settlements in divorce cases.
Additional reporting by the Press Association
