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06 March 2026 / Chris Bryden , Nicole Wallace
Issue: 8152 / Categories: Features , Family , Divorce , Abuse
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The cost of conduct

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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

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