November 21, 2011: £4.4million Divorce Deal for Wife

By April Lopez

Despite contributing nothing to their shared wealth, a divorcee has won her battle to hold on to a £4.4million share of her ex-husband's ancestral fortune.

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After separating with Anthony Arbuthnot Watkins Grubb in July 2009, Jennifer Grubb was given a £1.65million lump sum to meet her reasonable needs, a £2million nine-bedroom country house set in 40 acres of parkland, £75,000 a year for child maintenance and other assets.

After a High Court judge described the couple's wealth as not the product of the endeavors of the couple, the judge agreed on the division of the couple's £12million estate in August.

Mr. Grubb claimed he had contributed 100 percent to the fortune and most of which has been in his family for years. Although Mr. Grubb challenged the decision of the Court of Appeal, the original judgment was upheld.

In big-money divorce cases, the ruling comes amid claims that courts have lost touch with the idea of 'reasonable needs' for wives.

Following the original High Court hearing, Mrs. Grubb was given Damerel, the couple's former home in North Chailey, East Sussex and £75,000 for renovations. The three-storey house has large gardens, woodlands, lakes, a tennis court and swimming pool.

The couple moved to the £2million Mayes House in East Grinstead, West Sussex after a while. They have five children.

Representing Mr. Grubb, Jonathan Southgate said Mrs. Grubb's award was exorbitant.

According to Southgate, the house is huge and far beyond her reasonable needs. In addition, the couple's children are already grownups and are no longer living with them.

But Mrs. Grubb's lawyer, Richard Anelay, said Mr. Grubb should consider himself lucky to have lost only about a third of his ancestral wealth. He told the court the wife's award represented less than 50 percent of the assets.

Manufacturing business was the source of the Grubbs' wealth.

£700,000 is the estimated legal cost of Mr. and Mrs. Grubb's divorce.

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