When conduct matters in divorce finances: lessons from LP v MP

A recent family court decision, LP v MP [2025], highlights how serious misconduct within a marriage can affect the financial outcome of divorce proceedings.

The background

The case concerned a husband aged 72 and a wife aged 60 who had been married for almost 12 years and had one child. Most of the family wealth – around £22m – had been built up by the husband before the relationship began. The assets to be divided on divorce included several properties worth just over £6.6m.

During earlier proceedings about their child, the court had already found that the wife had subjected the husband to coercive and controlling behaviour, as well as verbal, emotional and physical abuse. These findings became highly relevant when the court later considered how to divide the couple’s finances.

Serious misconduct

At the final financial remedy hearing, the judge found that the wife had repeatedly deceived the husband. This included falsely claiming she was about to become a High Court judge and persuading him to give her large sums of money for academic studies and work trips that didn’t exist. In 2021, she was convicted in the criminal court of fraud and dishonesty offences. The husband even paid her compensation and legal costs to prevent her receiving a prison sentence.

The court described the wife’s behaviour as “egregious” and said it would be unfair to ignore it when deciding the financial settlement.

The financial outcome

In English divorce law, the starting point is usually an equal division of matrimonial assets. However, the court has discretion to depart from this where fairness requires it.

In this case, the judge reduced the wife’s entitlement to an equal share of 60% of the matrimonial assets, amounting to just under £2m. This reduction reflected both her lack of financial contribution and the seriousness of her conduct. The court also decided she should not be supported at the high standard of living enjoyed during the marriage.

Why this case matters

This decision is particularly important because the judge highlighted a wider concern in family law. Coercive and controlling behaviour can have real financial consequences, even if those consequences are difficult to measure precisely. If courts refuse to consider such behaviour simply because its financial impact can’t be neatly calculated, there’s a risk of unfair outcomes for victims.

Key takeaway

LP v MP shows that, in exceptional cases, serious misconduct can significantly affect how assets are divided on divorce. Although this remains rare, this case signals a growing judicial awareness of the financial impact of coercive and controlling behaviour – an issue likely to remain at the forefront of family law debates.