A Actual Housewives of Cheshire star who celebrated splitting from her property mogul ex by burning her marriage ceremony gown is ‘going through chapter’ after being left empty-handed amid a bitter £3million divorce battle.
Lauren Simon, 51, says she has been ‘destroyed’ after her eight-year court docket battle led to her getting none of her multi-millionaire ex-husband’s cash – and is now going through a £1.2million invoice to pay.
The previous Superstar Huge Brother contestant had initially been handed a £3million lump sum by a choose in 2018 after the top of her 13-year marriage to Paul Simon.
However property tycoon Mr Simon, 54, then gained an attraction towards the order after claiming the couple solely had £2million between them in belongings, and he had no money of his personal.
The pair later agreed to settle the case in February 2021, with Mrs Simon being given the proper to stay in a £1.8m mansion in Altrincham, Better Manchester for all times – however with no money payout.
Nonetheless, they have been dragged again to court docket by a specialist divorce finance firm after it accused them of getting into a ‘collusive settlement’ to keep away from paying a £1.2million invoice that Mrs Simon owes them.
Actual Housewives of Cheshire star Lauren Simon is going through potential chapter after a bitter divorce battle together with her property mogul ex led to her getting nothing – and being left with a £1.2million invoice to pay
The 51-year-old as soon as celebrated her divorce by torching her marriage ceremony gown (pictured)
The previous Superstar Huge Brother contestant had initially been handed a £3million lump sum by a choose in 2018 after the top of her 13-year marriage to Paul Simon (pictured)
After claiming the no-cash divorce settlement was a ploy to keep away from Mrs Simon paying what she owes, the corporate Integro Funding Restricted – buying and selling as ‘Stage’ – was then joined to the divorce case, forcing the couple to be taken again to court docket.
The divorce battle lastly ended yesterday on the Excessive Court docket, with Decide Mr Justice Peel saying Mrs Simon had confirmed she wished to drop her declare and for the authorized battle to finish – regardless of her ex’s attorneys saying she is going to get no money from the wedding.
It means the fact TV star will stroll away from her acrimonious break up with none of her ex-husband’s hundreds of thousands and no funds to pay Stage’s £1.2million invoice, leaving her at risk of chapter.
‘She was crystal clear in not wanting any additional litigation, which she mentioned had destroyed her and her household,’ mentioned the choose.
The court docket heard the couple married in November 2003 and had two youngsters earlier than separating in January 2016. They lived in a lavish £1.8million residence in Bowden, Cheshire.
Mrs Simon shot to fame in 2015 after she discovered a job on Actual Housewives of Cheshire, which options the glamorous existence of Cheshire ladies. She left the present in 2019, earlier than returning in 2020.
She earned £40,000-a-year, but additionally acquired perks and the possibility to plug her model of fragrance, Lauren Stone Quantity One, which she launched at a lavish celebration in Hale Barns, the court docket heard.
Following a bitterly contested listening to, Mrs Justice Parker awarded Mrs Simon the £3million lump sum as a ultimate conclusion to the couple’s married life in 2018, however that was later overturned on the husband’s attraction.
Mrs Simon and her ex have been dragged again into court docket by a specialist divorce finance firm after it accused them of getting into a ‘collusive settlement’ to keep away from paying a £1.2million invoice that she owed them
In 2021, after reaching the settlement together with her ex, Mrs Simon gave an interview during which she described having a celebration at which she burned her marriage ceremony gown to have a good time the divorce.
Legal professionals for Stage claimed that the settlement the previous couple struck in 2021 was ‘collusive’ and that, in offering her with no money, was ‘in search of to exclude’ the corporate from claiming its a reimbursement.
The debt is unenforceable as a result of Mrs Simon – who owes the cash – has been left with no money or belongings, and the corporate has no declare on Mr Simon’s wealth.
The consent order was put aside by settlement in 2022 and Stage have been joined as a celebration to the case the identical 12 months in a bid to get their invoice paid.
However Mr Justice Peel mentioned there was nothing the court docket might do to pressure the couple to succeed in a brand new money settlement – and permit Stage to be repaid – in the event that they refused to take action.
‘There have been no direct factual findings, primarily based on examined proof, however it isn’t tough to succeed in quite a few provisional conclusions,’ he mentioned.
‘Husband and spouse entered into an settlement… which included as one in all its aims an final result to keep away from compensation to Stage of its mortgage.
‘Different elements might have come into play, however it’s possible, in my opinion, that stopping Stage from recouping its monies was a part of the motivation, and it was definitely one of many penalties.‘
He mentioned it was Mrs Simon’s software for a monetary order that had introduced the case to court docket and that the litigation lender couldn’t ask for an order in her favour in order that it might get its a reimbursement.
‘Stage are usually not entitled to hunt monetary treatments orders as between husband and spouse,’ he mentioned.
‘This court docket can solely make distributive orders, whether or not by consent or in any other case, as between husband and spouse, on software made by both or each of them.
Mrs Simon (pictured outdoors the Excessive Court docket) says she has been ‘destroyed’ after her eight-year court docket battle led to her getting none of her multi-millionaire ex-husband’s money
‘It can not make a distributive order upon software by Stage in order to require the husband to pay the spouse such sum as Stage is entitled to.
‘The spouse doesn’t search any orders, together with a consent order. Nor does the husband. No matter their causes for this, I can not pressure them to use for orders, whether or not by consent or in any other case.
‘If spouse and husband, for their very own causes, elect to not pursue monetary treatment proceedings, there’s valuable little that Stage can do about it.’
The choose additionally added that ‘regardless of how unattractive the withdrawal by the spouse of her software for monetary treatments could be as an final result as far as Stage are involved,’ there’s ‘little they will do about that aside from making her bankrupt and they might be unable to recoup any of the debt she owes to them’.
Having made ‘no order’ on Mrs Simon’s software, the choose mentioned: ‘Ought to both spouse or husband want to make an software for monetary treatments sooner or later, it have to be issued afresh.
‘If such an software is made, Stage is to be robotically joined as intervener, and the appliance have to be served on them.’
The court docket heard Stage are bringing a separate civil case towards Mrs Simon, in search of their a reimbursement.
The choose mentioned: ‘Stage just isn’t with out potential treatments, as its civil declare stays pending. I make no statement on the deserves, or in any other case, of its declare for a sum which now stands at about £1.2m, together with curiosity however excluding prices.’
