Potanina (Respondent) v Potanin (Appellant)
Case ID: 2021/0130
Case summary
Issue
Should the court have granted the wife permission to apply for financial relief pursuant to Part III of the Matrimonial and Family Proceedings Act 1984?
Facts
The parties married in Russia in 1983 and lived there throughout their marriage. They have three adult children. In the 1990s, the husband amassed a large fortune, estimated to amount to $20 billion. The majority of his assets comprised shares in companies or other business entities. These were not registered in the husband's name, though the husband was their beneficial owner. The parties divorced in 2014, which prompted extensive litigation in Russia, as well as claims in the USA and Cyprus. The wife sought to obtain half of the assets beneficially owned by the husband, but her attempts were unsuccessful.
In 2019, the wife sought permission to apply for financial relief pursuant to Part III of the Matrimonial and Family Proceedings Act 1984. The High Court Judge initially granted the permission at a "without notice" hearing, where the husband was not represented. However, the Judge subsequently allowed the husband's application to set the permission aside on the basis that the Judge had been misled. The Court of Appeal allowed the wife's appeal. The husband now appeals to the Supreme Court.
Judgment appealed
Parties
Appellant(s)
Vladimir Olegovich Potanin
Respondent(s)
Natalia Nikolaevna Potanina
Appeal
Justices
Lord Lloyd-Jones, Lord Briggs, Lord Leggatt, Lord Stephens, Lady Rose
Hearing start date
31 October 2023
Hearing finish date
1 November 2023
| Watch hearing | ||
|---|---|---|
| 31 October 2023 | Morning session | Afternoon session |
| 1 November 2023 | Morning session | |
Judgment details
Judgment date
31 January 2024
Neutral citation
[2024] UKSC 3
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- Judgment on BAILII (HTML version)
This judgment was reuploaded on 2 February 2024 to correct a citation in paragraph 3.
This judgment was reuploaded on 19 April 2024 to further correct minor errors in paragraphs 43, 45, 66, 71, 101, 110, 111 and 120.
| Watch Judgment summary | |
|---|---|
| 31 January 2024 | Judgment summary |