The US$4.5b award, ordered from Russian fertiliser billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev to his ex-wife Elena, is said to be ‘the most expensive divorce in history’ by her lawyer, Marc Bonnant. Equal division of money made during the marriage is compulsory under Swiss law. However, questions are being asked as to whether she will be able to get all the money - not least because much of it is held in trust for the couple’s children. 

Divorce capital

In the UK, Marilyn Stowe of Stowe Family Law said: ‘The UK is generally regarded as the divorce capital of the world yet UK courts have tended to take into account the stellar financial contributions at stake and it is far from certain Elena Rybolovleva would have received such a generous settlement.’ Source: ABA Journal