CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’

Mr Charman has just lost his Court of Appeal Application to reduce his wife’s 38% share in the assets amassed during their marriage.

Not really surprising, surely, after a relationship which started when they were teenagers at school 37 years ago?

And yet the size of the 38% sends everyone reeling - £48 million!

Mr C believes he should get a much greater slice of the action because of his “extraordinary contribution”, and rails against what he sees as a lottery in big money divorce cases in the English courts. Mark Harper of Withers, his solicitor, has asked for a more predictable system so that London stops being the divorce capital of the world for wives seeking large settlements.

But I wonder if that would really be of benefit to his client?

Let’s take the Californian system of community of property – the general rule is each party gets half of the assets worked up during the course of the marriage.

On the one hand – this would put paid to gold-diggers seeking a quick settlement from a rich man after a short marriage.

But on the other hand – Mr Charman would have to get out his chequebook for the rest of his wife’s 50% settlement.

Perhaps he wouldn’t like clear cut rules after all...