Young v Young ============= Overview -------- *Young v Young*, which became known in the press as the 'Brewster's Millions'case, became a *cause célèbre* in both the legal world and the media. The case lasted for many years until Vardags took it over for the final financial hearing, which came before the High Court in 2013. Case background --------------- Scot and Michelle Young moved in together in 1989, married in 1995, had two daughters and separated in 2006. Mr Young was an entrepreneur, primarily involved in property and tech companies, and he generated substantial wealth during the marriage as a result. Throughout the divorce proceedings, his case was that in 2006, primarily due to a property deal collapsing, his entire business empire imploded and he lost everything. Mrs Young maintained that this was a sham and entirely engineered with a view to defeating her financial claims within the divorce proceedings. At the time of the final hearing, Mr Young was legally bankrupt and claimed that he had debts amounting to over £28m. However, Mrs Young's case was that he had "many hundreds of millions", if not "a few billion", [hidden](https://vardags.com/faq/divorce/how-to-uncover-hidden-assets-during-divorce-proceedings) in a series of complex offshore trusts. She also maintained that a number of his friends and business associates had been secretly making payments with Mr Young's hidden money to provide for her and the children. A number of high profile businessmen were summoned to give evidence in relation to this issue, including retail guru Sir Phillip Green, fashion billionaire Richard Caring and Scotland's first billionaire Sir Tim Hunter. The media was fascinated by the prospect of hidden millions and the Young's lavish lifestyle; stories circulated about million pound necklaces and Land Rovers filled to the roof with couture. Prior to the 20-day long final hearing, there had been six years of litigation in which 65 preliminary hearings had taken place. With Scott Young remaining resistant to disclosing his assets, the litigation continued. Though rarely dispensed in the family courts, Vardags, representing Michelle Young, fought for a Writ *ne exeat regno*, to be granted. Scott Young's passport was impounded for months while investigations into his non-disclosure proceeded, a feat rarely achieved in the family courts. In 2013 Mr Young was sentenced to six months' imprisonment for contempt of court. The court's judgment -------------------- The judge found that Mr Young had indeed had substantial assets in March 2006, that he had overstretched himself with the property venture and that he had cut his losses at that time, leaving his business to "implode". From the information available, the judge found that in March 2006 Mr Young's assets had totalled at least £45m. The judge had "no idea what has happened since then", but on the limited evidence before him, found that Mr Young still had £45m hidden from the court. The judge deducted £5m for Mr Young's legitimate debts, making a net total of £40m. Mr Young was ordered to pay Mrs Young £20m within 28 days plus costs of £5m (believed to be the largest ever cost order made in family proceedings) and maintenance arrears totalling £1.5m. This was also the largest ever award against a declared bankrupt. Shortly after the judgment Mr Young sadly died after falling 20 metres from the window of his apartment to the railings below. *Young v Young* was a particularly acrimonious case, of which the intensity was hugely amplified by the trial unrolling in full glare of the media. It has become a cautionary tale against trying to divert the course of justice by hiding assets and an example of the emotional strain public divorce battles can cause. You can read the full judgment of *Young v Young*[here](https://www.bailii.org/cgi-bin/markup.cgi?doc=/ew/cases/EWHC/Fam/2013/3637.html&query=EWHC+and+3637&method=boolean). **If you're considering or going through a divorce, click below for a free initial consultation with one of our expert divorce solicitors.** [BOOK FREE CONSULTATION](https://vardags.com/contact "BOOK FREE CONSULTATION") Young v Young in the press -------------------------- [Michelle Young: 'I'm not a victim. I want to come across as powerful' (The Evening Standard)](https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/london-life/michelle-young-i-m-not-a-victim-i-want-to-come-across-as-powerful-a2919726.html) [Wife's fury over £20 million divorce payout in Scot Young case (The Times)](https://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/law/article3928956.ece) [Philip Green admits lending money to fixer for the rich in divorce court case (The Times)](https://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/uk/article3923315.ece) About Us -------- Ayesha VardagFounder & President "A DIVORCE LAWYER WIDELY REGARDED AS ONE OF THE WORLD'S BEST" The Metro Vardags offer a unique approach to the law, specially tailored to the needs of HNW individuals. We offer City-quality representation for your divorce and family law needs. Our lawyers come from the very best universities and receive the very best training - they are determined, diligent, and dedicated to getting the best outcome... [read more](https://vardags.com/about-us) [BOOK FREE CONSULTATION](https://vardags.com/contact) Related Reads ------------- ### Four ways non-disclosers hide their assets Non-disclosure in divorce cases has recently hit the headlines again with reports of asset hiding... [READ MORE](https://vardags.com/family-law/four-ways-non-disclosers-hide-their-assets "Four ways non-disclosers hide their assets") ### Three ways to overcome non-disclosure I have lost count of the number of times that a client has said to me "my spouse is very clever,... [READ MORE](https://vardags.com/family-law/three-ways-to-overcome-non-disclosure "Three ways to overcome non-disclosure") Related Guides -------------- [Discovering Financial Assets: Goddard-Watts v Goddard-Watts 2023 EWCA Civ 115](https://vardags.com/law-guide/how-the-courts-decide-a-financial-settlement/discovering-financial-assets-goddard-watts-v-goddard-watts "Discovering Financial Assets: Goddard-Watts v Goddard-Watts 2023 EWCA Civ 115") [Gohil v Gohil & Sharland v Sharland](https://vardags.com/law-guide/important-divorce-cases/gohil-v-gohil-sharland-v-sharland "Gohil v Gohil & Sharland v Sharland") [How Courts Use Financial Forensics in Divorce](https://vardags.com/law-guide/how-the-courts-decide-a-financial-settlement/using-financial-forensics-guide-to-disclosure "How Courts Use Financial Forensics in Divorce") [Kingdon v Kingdon: Non-Disclosure in Divorce](https://vardags.com/law-guide/how-the-courts-decide-a-financial-settlement/kingdon-v-kingdon-non-disclosure-in-divorce "Kingdon v Kingdon: Non-Disclosure in Divorce") [Asset Tracing in Divorce](https://vardags.com/law-guide/how-the-courts-decide-a-financial-settlement/asset-tracing-in-divorce "Asset Tracing in Divorce") [What Is Financial Disclosure in Divorce?](https://vardags.com/law-guide/how-the-courts-decide-a-financial-settlement/what-is-financial-disclosure-in-divorce "What Is Financial Disclosure in Divorce?") [How do you uncover hidden assets during divorce proceedings?](https://vardags.com/faq/divorce/how-to-uncover-hidden-assets-during-divorce-proceedings "How do you uncover hidden assets during divorce proceedings?") [My spouse is hiding assets in offshore bank accounts and companies, what can I do?](https://vardags.com/faq/divorce/spouse-hiding-assets-offshore "My spouse is hiding assets in offshore bank accounts and companies, what can I do?") Glossary Reference ------------------ ### Committal order An order sending someone to prison for breaches of other court orders. ### Litigation lending for divorce A loan to cover the costs of the divorce proceedings, financial remedy proceedings and children matters. ### Non-disclosure The failure, deliberate or otherwise, to provide information required by the court. ### Writ ne exeat regno An order confiscating someone's passport and preventing them from leaving the country. This can be used as a form of enforcement in exceptional circumstances. The information on this website is intended as a guide and does not constitute legal advice. Vardags do not accept liability for any errors in the information on this website, nor any losses stemming from reliance upon the statements made herein. All articles and pages aim to reflect the legal position at time they were published, and may have been rendered obsolete by subsequent developments in the law. Should you require specialist advice, tailored to your situation, please see how Vardags can help you. What our clients say -------------------- Getting any kind of family problem is really when you are at your most vulnerable variables and their whole team were incredibly supportive, kind, attentive and caring throughout the entire experience. The whole team were... incredibly supportive, kind, attentive, and caring throughout the entire experience. Geeta Sidhu-Robb I would like to say working with the staff at Vardags was a great support to me at a difficult time of my life but with their support and sensitivity I was able to get through the experience with less stress and ease. If anyone... is looking for a good legal team I would recommend Vardags. They may cost a bit more but will give you good service. Brenda Hart Being supportive, reassuring, & attentive throughout the process, I definitively felt that everyone in the Team was investing in my affairs throughout. Martin Waters I am so happy I got to make the call to Vardags first! Excellent service. Whole team of forensics that I would have been totally lost without. I really cannot thank you enough for a perfect outcome to a complicated and not easy... case. Your care throughout was amazing. Christina Wolff You may find good or even great lawyers, but based on my personal experience, they are the best. Cliff Krause I hope you don't need it, but if you do, I would highly recommend Vardags. Xiao Ma OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM ------------------- [### Ayesha Vardag](https://vardags.com/solicitors/london/ayesha-vardag "Ayesha Vardag Founder & President Divorce & Family") [### Stephen Bence](https://vardags.com/solicitors/london/stephen-bence "Stephen Bence Vardags CEO") [### David Lister](https://vardags.com/solicitors/london/david-lister "David Lister") [Founder & President](https://vardags.com/solicitors/london/ayesha-vardag "Ayesha Vardag Founder & President Divorce & Family") [Chief Executive Officer](https://vardags.com/solicitors/london/stephen-bence "Stephen Bence Vardags CEO") [Senior Partner and Head of London Family - Divorce & Family](https://vardags.com/solicitors/london/david-lister "David Lister") [### Ayesha Vardag Founder & President ](https://vardags.com/solicitors/london/ayesha-vardag "Ayesha Vardag Founder & President Divorce & Family")"Ayesha Vardag - Britain's top divorce lawyer." The Telegraph [### Stephen Bence Chief Executive Officer](https://vardags.com/solicitors/london/stephen-bence "Stephen Bence Vardags CEO")"Dr Stephen Bence is a financial genius." Lewis Marks KC [### David Lister Senior Partner and Head of London Family - Divorce & Family ](https://vardags.com/solicitors/london/david-lister "David Lister")"Brilliant with a real spark which clients love" Legal 500 [Meet the rest of the team](https://vardags.com/team) [Vardags climbs ranks of UK's biggest firms in The Lawyer's UK 200](https://vardags.com/posts/vardags-london-climbs-ranks-of-uks-biggest-firms-in-the-lawyers-uk-200)