Last updated on March 7th, 2017 at 04:04 pm

Upon divorce in 2008 the couple, who have 2 children, sold their family home, worth £1.3 million and the proceeds were split.  Mrs Wright, a former legal secretary and riding instructor, who chose not to work after the divorce, came away with a mortgage-free home worth £450,000, as well as stabling for her horse and her daughters’ ponies. 59 year old racehorse surgeon, Ian Wright, was ordered to pay yearly maintenance of £75,000 plus school fees, when his 11 year marriage came to an end.

He applied for, and won, an end to the spousal maintenance provision, reducing over a 5 year term, saying that he would not be able to afford to continue payments when he retired at 65.  Mrs Wright appealed the decision.  Her counsel argued that she could not adjust without undue hardship and was restricted from developing an earning capacity in the next 5 years due to looking after her 10 year old daughter (the couple’s elder daughter was at boarding school). It was argued their standard of living would plummet with the loss of maintenance but the judge was scathing and critical of the wife and told her to ‘get a job like the rest of us’.

The Court of Appeal upheld the reduction in maintenance, with Lord Justice Pitchford saying that divorcees with children over 7 should work for a living and that Mrs Wright had no right to be supported for life.

Our family team says “This is a major development in divorce law.  It makes very clear that housewives of wealthy ex-husbands can no longer expect to continue receiving large spousal maintenance payments once their children are settled in school. They are now obliged to achieve their maximum earnings potential, retraining if necessary, with a view to supporting themselves. The court is very keen to promote financial independence whenever it can. The glory days of ‘a meal ticket for life’ for these ladies of leisure are gone.

This case does not mean that joint lives spousal maintenance orders will never be appropriate. There may still be cases where ‘top-up’ maintenance is needed and deserved. Every case is different, which is why it is important for clients to get proper legal advice from the right specialist”.

For first class advice on divorce and financial settlements, please contact our award winning family law team now.