Liam Gallagher – what cost divorce?
By the time the divorce between former Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher and former All Saints singer Nicole Appleton was finally settled, the couple had spent an eye-watering £800,00 on legal costs. With assets being split equally between, the couple would each receive around £5.5 million each.
That means that their legal costs of (presumably) £400,000 each amounts to almost 14% of their final award. Even Judge Martin O'Dwyer described the spending as “manifestly excessive”.
His version
These fees are all the more remarkable as Gallagher had tried to lower his net worth and dismiss his chances of large earnings in the future. The judge was having none of this, remarking how Gallagher had “Downplayed his prospects for earning in the music business in the future.” However, he said that Gallagher’s fame would give him “The potential for him to earn much greater sums.”
Her version
Ms Appleton had asserted that she was financially dependent on Gallagher as her career has been put on hold. This provoked the now infamous remarks by Gallagher’s lawyers suggesting that she could make money through a ‘range of employments’ including ‘working in appropriate retail environments’.
Taking lifestyle into consideration
The case highlights the complex financial issues any divorce case can raise, from how much each party brought to the marriage, and ultimately, how much they should leave with. A major consideration, and one that hits the headlines in almost every high-worth case, is how much each spouse needs to maintain their lifestyle.
In the Gallagher/Appleton case, the judge definitely took into consideration the need for the family to be maintained in the style to which they had become accustomed:
“I am satisfied… that (Appleton) is not someone who will not seek to work but will seek to maximise her own earning potential so that she had independence as far as possible. That is not to say that any potential income is likely to be sufficient to provide for the needs of the family, who have been brought up with a father with a very high income.”
If you are in a high-worth relationship, and looking for a divorce, call us at LGFL, We have extensive experience in securing comprehensive settlement for our clients that protect your lifestyle and that of your children, that hopefully don’t involve the need to start a new career in retail…