The Saudi billionaire who divorced his wife of sixteen years in Saudi Arabia by the Islamic procedure talaq is facing a divorce settlement claim worth nearly £240 million. Residents of the Greater Manchester area may be interested to hear that his former wife has said she requires this amount for the needs portion of her divorce settlement and she has yet to submit her full claim. Although lawyers for the man are already describing her demands as excessive, the judge hearing the case said that the decision on a needs claim was for the court to make.
Court documents show that the 54-year-old former Pirelli model is claiming her needs include almost £75 million for houses in England, £495,000 for cars, more than £1 million for art and an annual maintenance payment of over £6 million. Her lifestyle costs include the price of travelling by private jet between London and her California property which is worth an estimated £14 million. The settlement that she has been offered is far more modest and totals approximately £32 million.
Her billionaire ex-husband has said that the bulk of his wealth comes from family assets that were created before the couple were married. The cost of the legal battle between the couple is already significant after he tried to avoid being the subject of his ex-wife's legal actions in London by claiming diplomatic immunity. His plea was turned down on the grounds that the proceedings were not connected to his diplomatic activities.
The length of a relationship and the lifestyle that a couple enjoyed during their marriage are factors that a court will consider when deciding how marital property should be divided. The advice of an experienced solicitor may be beneficial for a person who is involved in a divorce that requires the division of complex assets.
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