The Supreme Court has made a landmark decision in allowing a woman to claim money from her ex-husband 20 years after they divorced.
The case concerned Kathleen Wyatt, 55, who took legal action against ex-husband Dale Vince, 53, back in 2011. She wanted to make a financial claim, but the Supreme Court had to decide whether it was valid considering the amount of time that had passed.
In a unanimous decision, all five Supreme Court justices agreed that Ms Wyatt should be able to have her case heard in the family court.
Ms Wyatt and Mr Vince met when they were both in their early 20s and married in 1981. The pair had a son, but then separated 10 years later. After the divorce, Mr Vince set up his wind-power company Ecotricity, and he is now worth an estimated £107 million and has received an OBE.
In a statement, Mr Vince called the decision of the court “mad”, adding that it could lead to an “open season”.
But the ruling given by Lord Wilson explained that Ms Wyatt had raised her son through “16 years of real hardship” and that her case should at least be considered by a court.
Concerning her claim for £1.9 million, Lord Wilson was less than confident that she will see such a sum, if at all, but that Ms Wyatt did have a real chance at securing a fair award that could be enough to allow her to purchase a home.