Judgment in Queen's Bench Division providing international family lawyers with a meticulous overview on establishing forum. A claim issued first elsewhere in the world, may not of itself be determinative. World-wide assets were brought under the overarching jurisdiction of the High Court. The sophisticated construct of trust claims engaged specific Articles.
Ms Gray in her 2015 divorce settlement received US $120m. Mr Hurley, born in New Zealand, remained a citizen of NZ and was a neuromuscular therapist. A relationship started in the UK in 2013 and continued until 2019. Mr Hurley's marriage proposals were refused and the couple did not marry. They enjoyed a world-wide lavish lifestyle paid for by Ms Gray, with more time in London than elsewhere, only half the time between 2013 and 2019 was in London.
On 25 March 2019 Mr Hurley commenced proceedings in NZ. NZ law provides relationship property will usually be divided equally.
Read the full summary, by Suzannah Cotterill, on Family Law Week here.