Rise in value of luxury items means they are being tussled over by estranged couples in court
17 July 2021 • 5:00am
The soaring value of luxury items has led to a rise in “handbag divorces”, as estranged couples tussle over designer watches, high heels and expensive road bikes in front of unimpressed judges.
Divorcing spouses now argue over clothing and shoes in the same way they have historically done over property, cars and more traditional, larger assets, lawyers have reported.
It comes as the courts, which were already close to capacity before the pandemic, manage a backlog which could see couples waiting more than a year for a hearing.
Family Arbitration: the outlook after Haley Date:29 APR 2021
The recent decision of the Court of Appeal in
Haley v Haley [2020] EWCA Civ 1369 (case report at [2021] Fam Law 37) settled an important issue for family arbitration. It established that contested awards in the area of financial remedy could be reviewed by the Family Court by a process akin to an appeal against decisions made in court proceedings, and on the same basis as such an appeal: that the decision is ‘wrong’.
This article assesses the significance of the decision by looking at its background and context. It sets out our understanding of the procedural implications. Finally, it identifies remaining areas of uncertainty and offers some views as to how they might be resolved.