British appeals court upholds massive divorce settlement

The Court of Appeal on Thursday upheld a 48-million pound (euro70 million, US$94.7 million) divorce settlement for the former wife of an insurance tycoon, one of the largest payouts in British history.

Photo: British appeals court upholds massive divorce settlement

The ruling will be closely studied for guidance in other big cases, including former Beatle Paul McCartney's split with his second wife, Heather Mills McCartney.

John Charman had argued that the award set by a lower court for Beverley Charman, his wife of 29 years, was "grotesque and unfair."

The Court of Appeal disagreed.

"Neither in its method nor in its result do we regard the judge's treatment of the husband's special contribution as vulnerable to appeal," said Sir Mark Potter, president of the High Court Family Division, who gave the ruling.