Divorcee might lose home thanks to husbandÂ’s debts
July 21, 2007 by admin
Filed under News, News-Loans
An unpaid £3,000 debt to the Inland Revenue could force a divorcee out of her home.
The £3,000 original debt, left unpaid for decades by her former husband from whom she divorced more than 20 years, has increased to £73,000, an amount she could only afford to pay if she sells her £150,000 semi-detached house.
“This has come as a complete shock. I don’t really know anything about what’s happened in court and can’t talk about it until I talk to my solicitor,” Vivienne Avis, 52, commented.
Although she has not lived with her husband for the past 20 years, a judge ruled that Raymond’s creditors could demand the sale of the home which was home to the couple when they were living together.
“The interests of the bankrupt’s creditors outweigh all other considerations unless the circumstances of the case are exceptional,” Lord Justice Chadwick said.
Thousands of divorcees whose former spouses are in financial difficulties could be affected by the ruling, which could set a legal precedent.
“It is going to send shockwaves through people like us who believe they have legally binding divorce set bankrupt settlements only to find it is not worth the paper it is written on,” Mr Avis, who contracted the debt, concluded.
