Laura Ashley boss loses latest round of £440m divorce battle with estranged wife

A Laura Ashley boss has lost the latest round of a court battle over money with his estranged wife.

Khoo Kay Peng, a 76-year-old non-executive chairman of Laura Ashley Holdings, and Pauline Chai, a former Miss Malaysia in 1969 and now aged 68, have been embroiled in divorce court litigation for more than two years following the breakdown of their 43-year marriage.

The pair, who both come from Malaysia and have five children, cannot agree whether or not decisions about who should get what ought to be made in English or Malaysian courts.

Dr Khoo, who is based in Malaysia, says the marital home was in Malaysia and a judge in Malaysia should make decisions about the division of money.He says Ms Chai wants to fight in England because an English court will give her a more generous award.
Judges have heard lawyers’ bills of around £5 million have been racked up during the dispute. Last year, one judge described the amounts spent on preliminary legal “skirmishes” as “eye-watering”.

(The Telegraph online) Read the full article here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/12057546/Laura-Ashley-boss-loses-latest-round-of-440m-divorce-battle-with-estranged-wife.html

In 2023 there were 122 contested probate cases, up from 116 cases in 2022, according to the Ministry of Justice Family Court Statistics.

Philip Collins, Partner at Winckworth Sherwood, said that it “isn’t at all surprising” that there has been a rise in contested probate claims. He said: “We know that significant amounts of wealth, often tied up in property, is currently being passed down to younger generations. Inherited wealth is becoming increasingly important and can often […]