GB - Alvina Collardeau-Fuchs v Michael Fuchs

Mr Justice Mostyn:

I have before me the application by Alvina Collardeau-Fuchs for maintenance pending suit made on 13 September 2021.

I will refer to the applicant as “the wife” and to the respondent as “the husband”.

The background facts

The husband is 62 and the wife is 46. The husband holds German and US citizenship (having moved to the US from Germany in the 1990s). He has enjoyed an extremely successful career as a property entrepreneur. The wife holds French citizenship. She was a journalist but has not worked since the early days of the relationship.

The parties began cohabiting in 2008 (according to the wife) or in 2010 (according to the husband). Nothing turns on this disagreement for the purposes of this application. They were married on 14 April 2012. They separated in March 2020. The wife’s divorce petition was issued on 22 December 2020. Decree Nisi was granted on 24 August 2021 but has not yet been made Absolute.

Although this litigation is at a relatively early stage, the parties have nonetheless incurred considerable costs. The Forms H filed and served in advance of this hearing show that the husband has incurred costs of £450,189 and the wife has incurred costs of £467,793, a total of £917,982. They estimate spending a combined total of a further £288,700 to the conclusion of the Private FDR Appointment on 28 March 2022.

The wife continues to live in the family home in West London (“the West London property”). It is a substantial property. It has six floors, five bedrooms, an indoor underground swimming pool and access to both a private and communal garden. In total, its area is over 700 square metres. The parties historically employed a retinue of staff: two rota chefs, a house manager, two or three housekeepers, and a laundress in addition to contractors (gardeners, pool maintainers, builders, plumbers, electricians, and handymen). The husband asserts that the property is worth £30.2 million and is subject to a mortgage of £21.5 million. When in the UK, the husband lives in a relatively modest apartment owned by the parties which is located near to the West London property.

There are two children of the family, A who is 6 and B who is 3. They both live with the wife. There are ongoing private law children proceedings in respect of the arrangements for the two children. The detail of those proceedings is not before me. I note, however, that the litigation is hotly contested; I am told substantial sums have been spent on the legal

Mr Justice Mostyn:

I have before me the application by Alvina Collardeau-Fuchs for maintenance pending suit made on 13 September 2021.

I will refer to the applicant as “the wife” and to the respondent as “the husband”.

The background facts

Alvina Collardeau-Fuchs v Michael Fuchs

Areas of Law