A High Court judge has awarded a mother of three an £877,000 lump sum and ongoing maintenance after ruling that her financial claim should be decided on the basis of needs rather than equal sharing.

Mr Justice Trowell made the decision following a five-day hearing examining the husband’s business interests and the resources available to the parties, who married in 2011 and separated in 2019. The couple have three children aged 11, 9 and 8.

The court directed that their Harrow property, bought in 2018 for £1.9m and extensively renovated but never lived in as a family home, should now be sold. Each party will receive around £1.36 million from the proceeds. To meet the wife’s assessed housing need, the husband must pay a further £877,860 as a lump sum.

Needs-based decision

The judge found that although the overall scale of the husband’s business interests appeared substantial, most of that wealth was tied up in illiquid company assets and much of it had developed after the couple had separated. Because of this, he concluded it would not be appropriate to apply the sharing principle usually used in long marriages with jointly acquired wealth.

Instead, he assessed the case on the basis of meeting each party’s reasonable future needs. The wife’s priority was securing a suitable home for herself and the children; her housing requirement was set at £2.2 million. Her earning capacity—based on her recent completion of a psychology degree and plans to enter teacher training—was factored into the maintenance award.

Maintenance arrangements

Although the husband faces a £5.6 million director’s loan that must eventually be repaid, the judge accepted expert evidence that he retains access to a substantial, sustainable income from the family company. He must therefore continue to pay:

• £10,000 per child per year in child maintenance,
• All school fees, and
• Spousal maintenance of £73,300 per year for the first three years, then £57,800 per year until June 2036.

Payments will automatically rise each year in line with the Consumer Prices Index.

Mr Justice Trowell said the orders fairly reflected the wife’s need for liquid capital and ongoing support, while allowing the husband to retain his business assets and meet his own obligations.

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Case: NI v AD
Court: High Court (Family Division)
Judge: Mr Justice Trowell
Neutral Citation: [2025] EWHC 2997 (Fam)
Date of Judgment: 31 October 2025
Parties: Applicant wife (NI); Respondent husband (AD)