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No Such Thing as Gay Adultery in The UK - Grounds for Divorce Law

A woman has been unable to divorce her husband on the grounds of adultery because he did not commit adultery as he only had an affair with men.

Rather than citing adultery from her husband of 20 years, the woman was forced to cite unreasonable behaviour as the reason for the divorce. The man had affairs with at least ten different men throughout their marriage, and despite denying everything, the woman began divorce proceedings.

The matter, which came to light following a BBC Radio 4 phone in has since received national attention. According to the woman, she assumed that two of the grounds for divorce would be open to her in adultery and unreasonable behaviour, however, she was informed by her lawyer that adultery was not an option.

Although the woman citing for divorce could still obtain a separation through citing unreasonable behaviour as grounds, and that the issue did not affect the financial settlement, she told the BBC that she was in the minority of people in her situation who "care hugely about the betrayal and want to know that somebody somewhere has recognised that"

"It completely cuts underneath your sense of yourself, your sense of your marriage and you wonder why you were married to this person in the first place, did they ever love you?"

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2557 Hits

Ex-Wife Wins All Husbands Assets in Landmark Case

In a landmark case in the UK, an ex-wife has been awarded all of her husband’s assets and his entire £550,000 fortune.

Dr Essam Aly, a hospital consultant, lost his entire fortune to his ex-wife Enas Aly after allegedly stating that he “washed his hands” of his family. Despite appealing that the ruling was unfair, the judge ruled that the initial settlement was fitting as he had neglected his family.

Dr Aly took the decision to the Appeals Court, but the judge stated in the appeal that the consultant did not deserve a penny of his fortune after abandoning his family. Dr Aly had not been paying child support to his ex-wife leading to his wife winning his assets. In total, Enas Aly was awarded the lump sum from the sale of a house as well as £310,000 from her former husband's bank account. Dr Aly had left the UK and stopped paying child support.

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2232 Hits

MPs Raise Concern Regarding Government Adoption Focus

A group of MPs have stated that they are concerned regarding the government's stance on adoption arguing that adoption should be one of a range of options” rather than the “gold standard” for children in care.

The news comes following the second reading of the Education and Adoption Bill, which encourages adoption of children in care. The bill will see adoption agencies encouraged to merge their services into regional agencies, and will allow the government to force such action if needed.

The criticism from the government’s proposals has been met with enthusiasm among some family groups and charities such as Tact, with the charity stating that the government’s focus on adoption was “unhelpful”

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2331 Hits

Double Divorces on the Rise in the UK

The number of “double divorces” in the UK has more than doubled in the last year with a higher amount of coverage in the mainstream press being one of the main factors, according to experts.

A high number of disgruntled partners have returned to court to try and obtain more capital or settlements despite the divorce already going through. Official figures from the High Court showed that the number of cases rose from 14,690 in 2013 to 29,060 in 2014 in England and Wales.

Divorce lawyers and experts state that some high profile and widely discussed cases were the main reason for the stark rise in the amount of cases seen by the High Court.  The case of millionaire Ecotricity founder Dale Vince, in particular, was cited as one of the main reasons for a rise. The millionaire's wife Kathleen Wyatt was given permission by the Supreme Court to seek a payout 30 years after divorce proceedings had been finished.

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Fostering Children Moving Too Often Report Finds

A report from the Fostering Network has stated that too many children are moving too often in care, with almost 50% of foster children with their third foster family.

The survey carried out by the Fostering Network found that over 30% of children between the age of 5-10 were living with their third foster family. Furthermore, 8% of all foster children living with their tenth or more foster family.

According to the foster network over 5,500 foster children, currently live with around 4,400 foster families in Scotland.

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2572 Hits

How Can You Protect Your Assets Without A Prenuptial Agreement

Prenuptial agreements can be one of the most effective ways to protect your assets if you get married or are in a partnership and you end up divorcing or separating. While some feel that prenuptial agreements should not be needed, divorce and separation are sadly a part of modern day life. Therefore it is perfectly acceptable to plan ahead if the event occurs.

In the unlikely event that you will need a prenuptial agreement, you are ensuring your assets are protected, however, many do not wish to plan for the breakdown of a relationship. What can you do rather than arrange a prenuptial agreement that protects your assets?

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2508 Hits

Social Media Significant Factor in Marriage Issues

According to research carried out by Slater and Gordon a quarter of couples argue due to their partners use of social media.

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2347 Hits

How Could Cohabiting Couples Legally Protect Their Assets

Cohabitation is one of the most common living arrangements in the UK, with more than six million cohabiting couples in the UK. Although there are some rules in Scotland in place to protect those cohabiting, there are numerous steps that couples can take to further protect themselves.

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3469 Hits

Worker Left “Homeless” Following Divorce

A millionaire has stated that his divorce, which saw his wife obtain 80% of the family property, has left him too poor to get on the housing ladder.

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2407 Hits

Carers Bill To Increase Support For Scottish Families

The Scottish Government has announced that the rights of carers in Scotland will be put into law in order to aid them in obtaining the necessary support they are entitled to.

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2601 Hits

Childcare Not Good Enough to Suit Working Scottish Families

A new study has found that one in six councils do not have the capacity to meet the needs of working families.

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2088 Hits

Statistics show Family Breakdown Linked To Youth Homelessness

Arguments at home and a breakdown of family relationships are some of the major reasons for children and youths becoming homeless according to a leading charity.

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Cohabitation Families Increase Across the UK

The number of cohabitation families in the UK has increased by 29.7% according to statistics from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

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2988 Hits

Legal Challenge Against Scottish Government Proposal to Name Guardians Rejected

A legal challenge against the Scottish Government’s proposal to name guardians for every child in the country has been rejected by the top civil court in Scotland.

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2480 Hits

Childcare Should Be Shared Equally According to Latest Survey

A survey has found that the majority of those living in the UK believe that childcare should be shared equally between parents.

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2196 Hits

Courts Failing Domestic Abuse Victims

According to a freedom of information request. domestic abuse courts are failing victims due to significant waiting times for courts to settle a case.

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2388 Hits

Clare’s Law to be Piloted in Aberdeen

A pilot scheme which allows people to see if their partner has a history of domestic violence or domestic abuse has been unrolled in Aberdeen and Ayrshire in the Scottish Government’s bid to control domestic abuse in Scotland.

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Calls For Fixed Fees Regarding Divorce

High Court Judge Mr Justice Mostyn has called for fixed fees and a cap on costs following a couple running up bills of just under £1 million in a divorce settlement.

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1892 Hits

Child Welfare Held To Be Sufficient Grounds To Change Names Of Children

The process of the breakdown of a marriage all too frequently becomes unpleasant due to the resentment the parties feel for each other. These disagreements are additionally fuelled by the complication of financial matters and childcare.

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1954 Hits

Charity Proposes Scotland’s Own Child Support System

Child maintenance should become a matter for the Scottish Parliament so that parental co-operation and meaningful contact for non-resident parents can be promoted, according to a fathers’ rights charity.

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1836 Hits

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