Law Times

Page 16 December 2, 2013 Law Times • u The u Bizarre Briefs InsIde story By Viola James 'PENNILESS' LITIGANT MUST PAY MILLIONS TO EX-SPOUSE LONDON, England — A family law litigant who claimed to be penniless is actually worth millions, according to a British High Court judge who branded a well-connected millionaire a liar and his ex-wife a conspiracy theorist in one of the country's longest and most bitter divorce cases. Far from being "penniless and hopelessly bankrupt," as he had claimed, Scot Young, 51, was worth about $40 million pounds ($65 million) and his estranged wife Michelle Young, 49, should get half of it, Judge Philip Moor ruled. "This case has been quite extraordinary even by the standards of the most bitter of matrimonial breakdowns," Moor wrote in his ruling, noting that it had taken more than six years and 65 court hearings to come to trial. The case has made headlines in Britain because of the size of the claims and the fact that Scot has enjoyed financial help from high-profile friends including Philip Green, the billionaire owner of the Topshop retail chain. According to Reuters, Michelle has run up large legal bills while Scot has served six months in jail for failing to provide full and frank disclosure of his assets. The pair were married for 17 years until 2006 and enjoyed a lavish lifestyle of mansions, jet-setting holidays, and gifts of diamond jewelry funded by Scot's investments in property, technology, and startup companies. It all fell apart when the marriage breakdown coincided with what the husband described as a total meltdown of his business empire that left him "penniless and hopelessly bankrupt" with large debts. According to Reuters, the judge said it was impossible to know the full truth of his financial position due to "the significant number of lies told by the husband to so many people over such a long period." He ordered him to pay his ex-wife a lump sum of 20 million pounds within 28 days. Michelle maintains the meltdown was a fiction specifically designed to hide her ex-husband's wealth and deprive her and the couple's two daughters of their rightful share, a version of events also rejected by the judge. "She sees conspiracy everywhere," he wrote. A furious Michelle branded the ruling "disgraceful." "I stand by what I said. He's worth billions," she told reporters outside the court. GUILLOTINE USED IN HORSE-TAX PROTEST PARIS — French horse lovers have brought out a familiar symbol in their battle against excessive taxes: the guillotine. According to Reuters, thousands of horse lovers paraded their animals through central Paris in a protest against a planned sales tax increase they say will put riding centres out of business and send horses to the slaughterhouse. Organizers of the protest say the European Union-mandated increase in France's valueadded tax to 20 per cent as of Jan. 1 will shut down a fifth of the centres across France. "Riders, up in arms!" shouted protesters. According to Reuters, protesters wheeled a guillotine through the streets, its blade poised above a toy horse's head. "It's a death blow," Serge Lecomte, president of the French Horseriding Federation, told Reuters TV. "That's why people are so worried, because they see the end of their activity and the end of a lot of establishments, the jobs, and the horses." Some ponies sported red bonnets like those worn by protesters in Brittany and by peasants who rose up against tax increases in the 17th century. Some marchers wore horse masks. The government has been pushing to maintain the seven-per-cent reduced sales tax rate for equestrian centres since March 2012. LT "If you had told me the government was going to remove graduated tax rates from testamentary trusts, I wouldn't have set one up, you lousy excuse for a lawyer!" TORYS PARTNERS NAMED MOST INFLUENTIAL WOMEN Two Torys LLP lawyers are among this year's top 25 women of influence in Canada. The rankings by Women of Influence selected partners Sharon Geraghty and Cheryl Reicin for their professional leadership roles over the last year, according to Torys. The ranking "counts both partners as among the most influential professional women in Canada today," the law firm Sharon Geraghty said in a press release. "The firm could not be more proud of Ms. Geraghty and Ms. Reicin for this well-deserved recognition." Geraghty practises mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, and securities law. She also regularly advises companies on governance and securities issues. Reicin is head of the technology and life sciences practice groups at the firm. Women of Influence says the honourees "have not only made a significant difference in their chosen fields but they are exceptionally influential. This is an important criterion because such women also serve as important role models for Canadian women and girls." MACKENZIE TO SPEAK ON CIVILITY Former Law Society of Upper Canada treasurer Gavin MacKenzie will speak about lawyers' ethics and civility at an event in December. The event, organized by the Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice, will cover the "most intractable ethical issues lawyers, judges, and tribunal members must deal with in practice." MacKenzie, partner at Davis LLP and author of Lawyers and Ethics: Professional Responsibility and Discipline, will chair the discussion taking place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Dec. 13 at the law society. MCCARTHYS HONOURED AS TOP EMPLOYER McCarthy Tétrault LLP is among the Greater Toronto Area's top employers for 2014. The firm, which made the Mediacorp Canada Inc. list for the ninth year, says the designation speaks to its dedication to its employees and clients. "This recognition is another testament to our dedication to investing in our people and providing our clients with a better experience," said Paul Boniferro, the firm's national leader for practices and people. "Through our collective efforts, we remain focused on improving our culture, growing our people, and always striving to offer exceptional client service, a task we never consider complete." GOOD CHARACTER STANDARD DEBATED Benchers of the Law Society of Upper Canada are calling for more concrete guidance on good character assessments of lawyers and paralegals. Before joining the Ontario bar, lawyers and paralegals must demonstrate they're of good character. The Federation of Law Societies of Canada asked the LSUC for its take on changing the way law societies across Canada approach good character inquiries in order to create consistent and well-defined rules across the country. In response, law society benchers approved a motion calling for new rules to replace the current "open-ended" ones at Convocation on Nov. 21. "While some flexibility is important . . . the current open-ended approach to the good character inquiry could lead to subjective analyses that provide little concrete guidance to applicants and adjudicators on the standard to be met," the LSUC said in a written response to a consultation paper. "It can also lead to [an] inconsistent and potentially nontransparent licensing decision, which is particularly problematic with national mobility." The federation suggested changing the name of the inquiry from "good character" to "suitable to practise," which it said is a more concrete definition for the process. But the law society disagreed, preferring to stick with the existing term instead. LT The title insurer that puts you front row, centre Putting the legal community front and centre has made us the #1 choice with Canadian lawyers for over a decade. Stewart Title does not support programs that reduce or eliminate the lawyer's role in real estate transactions. For more information call (888) 667-5151 or visit www.stewart.ca. Untitled-2 1 www.lawtimesnews.com 7/19/11 12:31:45 PM

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