McCartney v Mills - gloves come off in divorce row

Feb 10, 2008, 19:11 GMT

11/19/- Heather Mills McCartney - Heather Mills Launches Viva!\'s Environment Campaign at Speakers\' Corner in London - Speakers\' Corner - London, England © Solarpix / PR Photos

London - Heather Mills, the estranged wife of ex-Beatle Paul McCartney, has indicated that she is ready for all-out war when the couple's divorce battle climaxes in a London courtroom this week.

The former model, 40, is expected to repeat her claim, already made in media interviews, that the 66-year-old former Beatle turned abusive and violent after drink and drugs binges.

The hearing comes after the couple failed to reach a divorce deal during a tense, eight-hour private court session last October.

The accusations, expected to be made in a showdown behind closed doors at the Royal Courts of Justice Monday, are part of Mill's strategy to win a sizeable chunk of Sir Paul's vast fortune.

The musician, meanwhile, has vowed to stay cool - hoping to clear his name and keeping most of his fortune, estimated at 825 million pounds (1.6 billion dollars).

Mills, who is defending herself after furiously sacking her lawyers, has reportedly demanded a settlement of 50 million pounds (100 million dollars) in what could be the most costly divorce in British legal history.

Sir Paul, whom she has publicly described as being 'mean with money,' is said to have offered half that amount, after an 'opening bid' of just 3 million pounds.

Apart from deciding on the final settlement, the judge will deal with custody and financial arrangements for the couple's four-year old daughter, Beatrice, and the division of assets, including homes in London, the south of England and the United States.

A dispute over confidentiality will also have to be resolved, as Mills is understood to seek the right to 'kiss and tell' after her divorce.

However, unless one of the parties takes issue with the settlement being hammered out behind closed doors in the Family Division of the High Court, and goes to the Court of Appeal, the figures and details will never be known to the outside world.

There has been speculation amongst divorce experts, based on recent big money cases suggesting that the settlement could reach 60 million pounds, exceeding the previous British record of a payout of 48 million pounds.

Lawyers point out, however, that Mills' claim could be limited by a number of factors, including the brevity of the marriage and fact that the bulk of Sir Paul's fortune was amassed decades before the couple met.

'The fact that this has been a short marriage will be taken into account and this could involve looking at the wealth that has been generated during the course of the marriage as distinct from pre- marital wealth,' said Suzanne Kingston, a family law expert.

The hearing beginning Monday, and lasting all week, concerns the financial aspects of the divorce and will be a very private affair - ending in a divorce announcement of not more than a few seconds.

All public areas of the court will be vacant and the media circus attracted by the celebrity court drama must content itself with fleeting glimpses of the couple as they arrive for the hearing - and speculation on the events inside the court.