The American wife of a London-based financier has won a staggering £337m in a High Court divorce case, a figure that is widely believed to be the highest paid in any divorce case in England, reports the BBC and the Daily Mail.
Jamie Cooper-Hohn was married to banker Sir Chris Hohn for 15 years before their relationship came to an end in 2012.
The couple were arguing over assets believed to be worth over £700m, including property in London, America and the West Indies. The dispute centred over the value of any payment to Mrs Cooper-Hohn, who believed she was entitled to half the assets, whereas her husband claimed she was only entitled to one quarter.
The couple attended a private two-week hearing back in July, but the details of the settlement were only made public this week after a judge ruled they could be disclosed by the media.
The couple, who are both in their late 40s, have four children.
The trial had heard Sir Chris Hohn describe himself as a ‘billionaire’ who considers himself in the top-ten investors of all time.
“Over the long term I am an unbelievable money-maker. I don’t really care about money,” he told the court, saying that by his mid-30s he had made enough money to retire and to devote his time to raising money for good causes.
The couple are reported to have donated around £1bn through their Children’s Investment Fund Foundation.
Sir Chris argued that he had made a ‘special contribution’ to the wealth of the couple during their marriage and therefore deserved a greater share of the couple’s wealth.
This argument was rejected, however, with the court ruling that the couple should split their assets roughly evenly, resulting in the enormous settlement which is thought to be the largest in English legal history.
