The Dentons Rodyk’s Family Law practice team, led by Partner Suchitra Ragupathy, successfully acted for their client (the Wife) in a High Court case ([2023] SGHCF 51) on the division of matrimonial assets and maintenance for children.

Despite it being a 14-year marriage, the team secured an overall division ratio of 85:15 in favour of the client for the division of matrimonial assets as her contributions (both direct and indirect) were meticulously put together and argued that even her non-financial contributions surpassed the ex-husband’s notwithstanding being a career woman. Likewise, the team also successfully argued for the ex-husband to contribute towards the children’s maintenance on the basis that he should be earning and contributing (i.e., he has the earning capacity) and cannot be playing the house-husband card and contending that the burden is solely on the Wife to support the children.   

In this case, the judge found that the ex-husband’s contributions to the marriage were overstated. There was insufficient evidence to support his claims of providing significant financial contributions to the marriage, especially against the backdrop of his four failed business ventures since the start of the marriage.

Our lawyers also successfully argued that the financial contributions made by the ex-husband towards the matrimonial home were exaggerated. Unlike the Wife’s contributions claims, which were heavily supported by a comprehensive compilation of receipts, invoices, and bank statements, the husband barely provided any evidence to support his claims.

Read the full judgment.

Find out more about Dentons Rodyk’s Family practice.

About Dentons Rodyk

Dentons Rodyk is one of Singapore's biggest law firms and part of the world’s largest, with a team of around 200 lawyers offering clients a full suite of legal services necessary to do business locally and globally. With over 160 years of establishment, consistently ranked highly in leading publications, we pride ourselves on providing the highest quality advice to our clients while maintaining strong working relationships with key public sector agencies and leading organisations in the private sector. Our combination with global law firm Dentons, makes us part of the world’s largest law firm with more than 12,500 professionals in over 160 locations in more than 80 countries.

Designed to be different, Dentons Rodyk can help you grow, protect, operate and finance your business. Our polycentric and purpose-driven approach, together with our commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity and ESG, ensures we challenge the status quo to stay focused on what matters most to you.

The first global pan-ASEAN law firm, Dentons ASEAN has an established history in Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Vietnam and Singapore and will continue to grow our presence through combinations with exceptional local firms across the ASEAN region and help clients navigate change wherever they are located.

In the new dynamic decade, clients continue to be confronted with complex scenarios and want to work with a purpose-driven law firm that has the experience and confidence to help them thrive at wherever they are located. Through our combinations with firms that are leaders in their respective communities and local markets, along with the partner firms in Dentons’ Nextlaw Referral Network, Dentons is ideally positioned to support our clients everywhere in ASEAN and around the globe.