The divorce settlement dispute between Paul McCartney and his estranged wife Heather Mills took a surprise twist this week as it emerged that details of the case - which so far has been conducted in private - could be made public.
The judge who presided over the five-day High Court hearing to decide how much of Paul's fortune Heather is entitled to will deliver his decision in private on March 17. However, he has taken the unusual step of indicating he may release details of the the amount, which could be the biggest in British legal history.
"He will… decide, having heard submissions from the parties, whether or not to make the judgement public in whole or part," said a spokesman. "It is not unknown in high profile cases, or where the judges think the case has legal significance, for some or all of the case to be made public."
Divorce experts have suggested that, based on recent cases, Heather could be awarded £60 million, from the former Beatle's estimated £825 million fortune.
The judge was charged with making the final assessment of the award after Paul and Heather were unable to agree a deal at the end of their closed-doors hearing earlier this month.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
