Specialist PI Blog http://spi.gosh-media.net/blog http://backend.userland.com/rss GoshMedia v1.0 Ex-Husband to pay 6 million pound legal bill. The couple, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had a property empire worth 100 million pounds before the credit crunch. Three years later the husband was claiming in court he "only 87 pounds in his pocket". However, his ex-wife's lawyers disputed his claims, and discovered that he was spending up to 15,000 pounds a month on his credit card and over 2,700 pounds a month renting a flat... http://www.specialistpi.com/blog/ex-husband-ordered-to-pay-huge-legal-bill.html http://www.specialistpi.com/blog/ex-husband-ordered-to-pay-huge-legal-bill.html Post-Radmacher prenup The court hearing detailed below confirms an earlier decision made in Radmacher V Granation, where the judge gave pre-nuptial agreements 'decisive weight'. Pre-nuptial agreements have become increasingly common in the UK over recent years, and these two recent judgements are only likely to accelerate this process given that it appears the judiciary are being more and more persuaded as to their validity... http://www.specialistpi.com/blog/prenups-given-decisive-weight.html http://www.specialistpi.com/blog/prenups-given-decisive-weight.html Analysis of frauds recorded by Members of CIFAS - the UK's Fraud Prevention Service during the first nine months of 2011, reveals some sobering trends taking place: Despite lower new business volumes, there has been an overall increase in fraudulent activity of nearly 3% compared with the same period in 2010, accounted for by increases in numerous types of fraud A 12% increase in frauds by account holders who are misusing their accounts Over a half of all frauds relate to the theft or misuse of personal and account information, and Economically pressurised individuals are increasingly trying to lie their way to products and services... http://www.specialistpi.com/blog/fraud-on-the-rise.html http://www.specialistpi.com/blog/fraud-on-the-rise.html Jennifer Grubb, 55, was awarded a 2 million pound nine-bedroom country house set in 40 acres of parkland, 75,000 pounds a year for child maintenance, a 1.65 million pound lump sum to meet her 'reasonable needs' and other assets after splitting with Anthony Arbuthnot Watkins Grubb in July 2009. A High Court judge agreed on the division of the couple's 12 million pound estate in August, after describing the couple's wealth as 'not the product of the endeavours' of either of them... http://www.specialistpi.com/blog/wife-s-4m-divorce-deal.html http://www.specialistpi.com/blog/wife-s-4m-divorce-deal.html While it is hoped that the banning of referral fees will have some impact on the UK's claim culture, it is clear there are still significant incentives for bringging a claim - whether genuine or not. So can the industrydo more to discourage fraudulent claims? The recent contempt of court prosecutions of Shah and Loveday have shown an appetite on the part of the judiciary to punish not only those who bring fraudulent claims, but those who support claims they know to be false... http://www.specialistpi.com/blog/fraudulent-claimants-imprisoned.html http://www.specialistpi.com/blog/fraudulent-claimants-imprisoned.html Do you have concerns about how your employees are spending their time when they should be working for you? One of the main reasons businesses give for using vehicle tracking is to keep tabs on their drivers and mobile workers. It helps them to cut out un-allowed usage of company vehicles and puts a stop on skiving in working hours. There is no arguing that this is one of the biggest benefits to businesses investing in vehicle tracking... http://www.specialistpi.com/blog/vehicle-tracking.html http://www.specialistpi.com/blog/vehicle-tracking.html Purchase of former matrimonial home converts non-matrimonial assets into matrimonial property Mr Justice Mostyn, in S v AG (Financial Remedy: Lottery Prize) [2011] EWHC 2637 (Fam), has decided what is thought to be the first financial relief case in which the High Court has had to determine the status of a National lottery win. Mostyn J found that the initial lottery prize of £500,000 was non-matrimonial money... http://www.specialistpi.com/blog/high-court-decides-lottery-win-is-non-matrimonial-property.html http://www.specialistpi.com/blog/high-court-decides-lottery-win-is-non-matrimonial-property.html Men who feel stressed about their finances and job security during the downturn are more likely to cheat, according to a new US study. Researchers from the University of Kansas found that men who feel most threatened by the recession go into 'survival mode', which causes their sex-drive to soar as their primal instinct kicks in. This is nature's way of making men 'spread their seed' to ensure the survival of the species... http://www.specialistpi.com/blog/unfaithful-husband-blame-the-recession-says-study.html http://www.specialistpi.com/blog/unfaithful-husband-blame-the-recession-says-study.html Analysis of the frauds recorded by Members of CIFAS - the UK's Fraud Prevention Service during the first nine months of 2011 reveals that identity fraud remains the most virulent fraud currently being committed in the United Kingdom. Most alarming is the fact that the total number of identity frauds being recorded in the first nine months of 2011 has increased slightly (by 2%) when compared with the same period of last year, proving that this most prevalent of fraud crimes shows no sign of abating and is helping to fuel an overall rise in fraud levels... http://www.specialistpi.com/blog/identity-and-account-takeover-fraud.html http://www.specialistpi.com/blog/identity-and-account-takeover-fraud.html Increasing numbers of British spouses are 'racing' each other to secure more favourable divorce settlements. Family lawyers at law firm Pannone have reported a significant rise over the last two years in cases involving couples trying to begin proceedings in countries where they believe they might get a better deal. Pannone claim businessmen are now more likely than ever to issue proceedings abroad to avoid what they regard as wife-friendly settlements in British courts... http://www.specialistpi.com/blog/more-british-spouses-contest-international-divorce-race.html http://www.specialistpi.com/blog/more-british-spouses-contest-international-divorce-race.html She says she was out with her friends for drinks, but one of them called the house asking for her. So, was she lying? How do you decode your partner's lie? If you are worried that their words are sending mixed messages, then it's time to look for other signals - namely what your partner's body is telling you. So if you want to know where she really was last night (or how much he really spent on that TV), the most telling signs are expressed through a person's body language, according to Richard Newman... http://www.specialistpi.com/blog/how-to-tell-if-your-partner-is-lying.html http://www.specialistpi.com/blog/how-to-tell-if-your-partner-is-lying.html What's worse: cheating on your partner emotionally or cheating on them physically? According to a new study, your answer may depend on your gender. Barry Kuhle, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Scranton, says "while men are more likely to interrogate their partners about the sexual nature of an affair, a woman will often ask her partner whether he is in love with the other woman." Kuhle arrived at this conclusion after observing the reality TV show Cheaters... http://www.specialistpi.com/blog/study-shows-men-and-women-view-infidelity-differently.html http://www.specialistpi.com/blog/study-shows-men-and-women-view-infidelity-differently.html Analysis of staff frauds recorded by Members of CIFAS - the UK's Fraud Prevention Service during the first six months of 2011, reveals the continued seriousness of the problem posed by dishonest, fraudulent staff operating within organisations. Key findings include: Dishonest actions by staff to obtain benefits by fraud or deception account for over 50% of all confirmed staff frauds committed in the first half of 2011, rising by nearly a quarter in the first half of 2011 compared with the last half of 2010... http://www.specialistpi.com/blog/cifas-warns-mix-old-new-staff-fraud-methods.html http://www.specialistpi.com/blog/cifas-warns-mix-old-new-staff-fraud-methods.html A number of organisations focused on helping children and young people have been voicing their fears that government cuts are seriously affecting local services for runaways, following a marked decline in the number of dedicated projects in this sector since the spring. Statistics show that an estimated 100,000 children and young people run away from home or care every year in the UK. While some people search unstintingly for their missing child, the sad fact is that some families do not care or are under too much strain from other factors to find a missing person... http://www.specialistpi.com/blog/fears-mount-cutbacks-imperil-young-runaways.html http://www.specialistpi.com/blog/fears-mount-cutbacks-imperil-young-runaways.html Most companies can identify their assets pretty easily - buildings, vehicles, machinery and so on - and they take a number of steps to protect them. Few, however, give sufficient thought to protecting what is arguably their most valuable asset: their brand. For larger, public-facing companies - such as high street retailers - the investment in building brand recognition can run into millions of pounds per year... http://www.specialistpi.com/blog/brand-infringement-serious-business.html http://www.specialistpi.com/blog/brand-infringement-serious-business.html