Mistaken Divorce: Couple Unintentionally Dissolved Marriage Due to Law Firm's Computer Error
A couple, identified as Mr and Mrs Williams, were mistakenly divorced due to a computer error at family law firm Vardag.
A staff member accidentally opened their file instead of another client's while applying for a final divorce order.
Vardag applied to rescind the order three days later, but Judge Sir Andrew McFarlane denied the request, effectively finalizing the divorce for the wrong couple.
Mrs Williams had applied for divorce in January 2023 after 21 years of marriage.
A mistake was made by Mrs Williams' solicitors on an online divorce portal on October 3, 2021, which granted the divorce order just 21 minutes later.
The error was not discovered until October 5 by Vardag's, who thought it was for another client.
The husband found out on October 11, the same day Vardag's notified his solicitors.
Judge McFarlane, president of the High Court's Family Division, summarized the issue as occurring during ongoing contested financial remedy proceedings.
Ms. Vardag, known as the "divorce diva," runs a London-based law firm specializing in high net worth and ultra high net worth family cases, with offices in Cambridge and Manchester.
In a recent case, lawyers for Mrs. Williams requested that a court order be overturned, claiming it was made in error and could be "set aside." They attributed the mistake to someone accidentally clicking the wrong button.
Vardag applied to rescind the order three days later, but Judge Sir Andrew McFarlane denied the request, effectively finalizing the divorce for the wrong couple.
Mrs Williams had applied for divorce in January 2023 after 21 years of marriage.
A mistake was made by Mrs Williams' solicitors on an online divorce portal on October 3, 2021, which granted the divorce order just 21 minutes later.
The error was not discovered until October 5 by Vardag's, who thought it was for another client.
The husband found out on October 11, the same day Vardag's notified his solicitors.
Judge McFarlane, president of the High Court's Family Division, summarized the issue as occurring during ongoing contested financial remedy proceedings.
Ms. Vardag, known as the "divorce diva," runs a London-based law firm specializing in high net worth and ultra high net worth family cases, with offices in Cambridge and Manchester.
In a recent case, lawyers for Mrs. Williams requested that a court order be overturned, claiming it was made in error and could be "set aside." They attributed the mistake to someone accidentally clicking the wrong button.
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