Compensation received before marriage, a matrimonial asset?

It has been reported by the Daily Mail this afternoon that a man who received the sum of £500,000.00 by way of compensation following a car crash five years before he met his wife has been ordered by the court to pay over £285,000.00 of that money to his now ex wife as part of a financial settlement on divorce.

The Judge in this case appears to have classed the husband’s compensation as part of the matrimonial assets.

This is an unusual case, and begs the question can it be fair that the husband now faces financial hardship by losing an asset that not only was provided as compensation for his disability, but one that he received before he met his ex wife?

The husband has now been granted permission to appeal against this ruling.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1354470/Divorce-judge-orders-crash-amputee-hand-500-000-compensation-ex-wife.html

Anne Thomas, Legal Executive, Hart Brown

Ian Huntley

So much outrage about whether Ian Huntley should recover compensation if the prison service has not protected him properly.

Does everyone deserve to be protected –no matter what they have done or should some people be thrown to the lions? Do criminals have any rights? Should criminals be entitled to compensation?

Or should the question be what should happen to compensation a criminal receives? Should they start paying for their keep in prison on a daily basis? Should their victims recover compensation? In fact should any criminal who has money or comes into money by whatever means be forced to pay for their upkeep in prison at least until their private funds run out?

Some interesting questions.

What do you think?

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www.hartbrown.co.uk