Househusband appealing court ruling that gave him £50k a year as "unreasonable"

Househusband appealing court ruling that gave him £50k a year as “unreasonable”

Rupert Nightingale, 42, was married to high flying accountant Kirsten Turner, 41, for seven years. She earned a substantial six figure salary as a partner at international financial services form PriceWaterhouseCoopers, while he pursued his artistic ambitions in the world of fine art photography.

The couple separated in 2010 and within the subsequent divorce proceedings, Mr Nightingale was awarded spousal maintenance of approximately £50,000 per year together with a lump sum of £300,000.

Mr Nightingale decided to appeal the judgment when he was told that his pay out would be partially funded by the sale of £1 million former matrimonial home in Wimbledon, where he currently resided, and that his spousal maintenance had been discounted by his earning capacity.

Mr Nightingale’s counsel argued that the settlement did not accurately reflect the couple’s standard of living during the marriage. He told the court that he had provided stability for the family, had not been employed for 11 years and, at best, had earned 30 times less than his wife.

Judge Everall, however, felt that it was reasonable for Mr Nightingale to go back to work full time and said that he could be expected to earn £36,000 per year and his maintenance should be discounted accordingly.

Mr Nightingale told the London Evening Standard that he thought there was an element of gender bias in the Judgement.

No date has yet been set for the full hearing of Mr Nightingale’s appeal. He is seeking undiscounted maintenance of £85K year, plus the right to stay in the former matrimonial home.

We will keep you updated as the case progresses.