The ex-wife of a Russian businessman has been refused permission to pursue a legal bid for a third of his £15 billion fortune.
Natalia Potanina was attempting to secure an increased pay out through English courts from her former husband, Vladimir Potanin, claiming that the initial amount she received left her facing ‘hardship’ and did not meet her ‘reasonable needs.’
She attempted to launch a case in the English courts, claiming her husband’s ‘power and influence’ denied her a fair settlement in Russia.
Lawyers acting for her husband took the matter to the High Court in London. However, the judge ruled that the $84 million she received when they divorced did not make her a ‘victim of an injustice.’
The judge also noted that England was the fourth country in which she had initiated legal proceedings against her former husband.
Delivering his judgment, Mr Justice Cohen said, ‘To most people it would seem inconceivable that someone who has received an award of $40-80 million could argue that reasonable needs have not been met, but each case is fact-specific and I accept that W could argue that her reasonable needs have not been met. However, the other 16 factors mitigate strongly against her claim proceeding.
‘Simply because W has suffered what she regards as a very significant injustice in that other country and has come to England after the breakdown of the marriage does not in itself make the case appropriate for determination in England and Wales.’
