50/50? Split - I don't think so

Posted by: Champagne2008
08/05/08 at 2:31 pm

A good friend found out 18 months ago that his wife of 17 years with whom he had 2 children was having an affair with a "friend of the family", the affair had been ongoing for 7 years.  I know this because I am the secretary of the man concerned.  And yes I feel awful that I did not tell him or the other wife involved who had been married for over 20 years. 

They seperated but remained living in the family home complete with au pair and house keeper as she works full time and would know the difference between a washing machine and a dishwasher, she finally moved out of the family home taking more than was agreed together with ALL of his personal papers including share certs, birth certficate and all his policies etc.  She moved in with her new partner into a £1.8million house.  The papers were then stored at her friends house for months and via his solicitor they were returned 8 months later by which time she had copied everything, she had even written on one documents stating that she had a copy.   The divorce went through in December of last year on the grounds of her adultry.

I am really having finding it difficult that the law says he has to give her 50/50 of their assets as when she married him he had been widowed and had a house and money from his deceased wife - she also gets half of this - how unfair - I think this should be excluded from the "joint assets".  Secondly, in order to confirm that what she chooses to disclose is correct  he would like to have copies of all her private documents, that only seems fair but of course he won't get them.  Surely if she took documents that were not hers and retained them for months this is theft - i.e. taking something without the owners consent but there is nothing he can do about that either.  He has proof that she transferred 1.5millions shares that she holds into her friends name (the same friend that stored his documents for her),   Naturally he/we believe there are other assets that are hidden as last year she had 7 holidays including Las Vegas and South Africa. 

On top of everything else that he has lost, she is now demanding maintenance and child maintenance which she will probably get, despite that fact that her income together with her new partners income are more than double what my friend earns - this is totally unfair and unreasonable and its time these people that lie and cheat on their partners stop taking.  She has taken 7 years of his life, and there is no compensation whatsoever for him and people like him.

My friend trusted his wife to manage the joint money, she never contributed anything from her own salary to the bank that paid for the running of their house and paid for the au-pair, house keeper and their fabulous holidays which they had every year yet she is demanding half of everything.

If a marriage is not working then fine get out of it but don't waste years of someone else's life then expect to receive a huge chunk of what they have worked for.

Anyone else agree or know any thing he can do?