header-logo header-logo

Home Login E-newsletter About us
06 March 2026 / Chris Bryden , Nicole Wallace
Issue: 8152 / Categories: Features , Family , Divorce , Abuse
printer mail-detail

The cost of conduct

© Copyright LexisNexis 2026. All Rights Reserved.
243962
40% off for coercive control: is abusive behaviour finally starting to carry financial weight in divorce proceedings? Chris Bryden & Nicole Wallace consider the arguments
  • In LP v MP [2025] EWFC 473, the High Court reduced the wife’s award by 40% for coercive and controlling behaviour, holding that conduct can justify departure from equality even where financial loss is not precisely quantifiable.
  • The judgment signals a potential shift towards a broader, more holistic approach to s 25(2)(g), MCA 1973, challenging the traditionally strict requirement for clearly measurable financial impact and reopening debate on the role of domestic abuse in financial remedies.

Conduct is back in the spotlight where financial remedies are concerned. In a rare example of a successful conduct argument, the High Court has taken the opportunity to address the issue of proof of negative financial impact arising out of personal misconduct, in LP v MP [2025] EWFC 473.

Background

The parties married in August 2011, having known one another for a short period

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Read All
Penningtons Manches Cooper—Robert Dransfield

Penningtons Manches Cooper—Robert Dransfield

London medical negligence practice strengthened by senior partner hire

DAC Beachcroft—seven appointments

DAC Beachcroft—seven appointments

Firm boosts professional risk practice with team hire in Manchester, led by partner Ben Parks

Doyle Clayton—Benedicte Perowne

Doyle Clayton—Benedicte Perowne

Workplace law firm appoints new head of regulatory team

NEWS
Read All
NLJ this week: Driving test fraudsters steer towards jail
Cheating in driving tests is surging—and courts are responding firmly. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort Law School charts a rise in impersonation and tech-assisted fraud, with 2,844 attempts recorded in a year
NLJ this week: Deepfakes demand data law muscle
As AI-generated ‘deepfake’ images proliferate, the law may already have the tools to respond. In NLJ this week, Jon Belcher of Excello Law argues that such images amount to personal data processing under UK GDPR
NLJ this week: 40% penalty for coercive control
In a striking financial remedies ruling, the High Court cut a wife’s award by 40% for coercive and controlling behaviour. Writing in NLJ this week, Chris Bryden and Nicole Wallace of 4 King’s Bench Walk analyse LP v MP [2025] EWFC 473
NLJ this week: Mbappé row spotlights ‘ethics bonuses’
A €60.9m award to Kylian Mbappé has refocused attention on football’s controversial ‘ethics bonus’ clauses. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Estelle Ivanova of Valloni Attorneys at Law examines how such provisions sit within French labour law
NLJ this week: CPR tweak closes third-party disclosure gap
A seemingly dry procedural update may prove potent. In his latest 'Civil way' column for NLJ this week, Stephen Gold explains that new CPR 31.12A—part of the 193rd update—fills a ‘lacuna’ exposed in McLaren Indy v Alpa Racing
Copyright © 2026 LexisNexis
back-to-top-scroll