Australia’s most expensive divorce wraps up after 14 years and $40 million in legal fees

The 14-year saga involved more than 700 documents, a “vast number” of hearings, 61 separate judgments, 16 law firms and more than $40 million in legal fees.

But the case, akin to Jarndyce and Jarndyce from Charles Dickens’ Bleak House, was finally brought to an end last month with the Family Court refusing the wife’s bid to have the proceedings reopened so she could attempt to retain her share in the family trusts and companies.

The wealthy couple, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, married in 1994 and separated in 2005, with litigation starting just months later. “They have been litigating about their marriage longer than they were married,” the appeal judges noted in their decision.

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