A couple who divorced after establishing a chain of dental surgeries appeared in court this week to argue over ownership.
Dr Anushika Sharma and former husband Sunny split ast year after establishing their highly successful dentistry business, the Telegraph reports. Their combined worth approached £10 million.
During the divorce proceedings, Dr Sharma, a qualified dentist, claimed she owned seven of the 12 practices in their firm, and a judge ruled in her favour. Her former husband, as well as his mother and brother, appealed the ruling, claiming ownership of five of those seven surgeries.
The dispute has resulted in an atmosphere of “unremitting hostility” between Dr Sharma and her ex-husband and in-laws, the court heard.
Dr Sharma told the court that she had acquired the five disputed surgeries – in London, Oxfordshire and Hampshire – on her own behalf while working as director of the family business. She had, she said, bought the surgeries in order to protect her business interests after tensions arose with her mother-in-law Kesh.
But her former husband and his family claimed the purchases had been unlawful as she was working for the family business at the time. She had owed that business a duty of loyalty, they alleged, and buying the other businesses had been “a conflict of interest”.
Her barrister insisted that she had acted “honestly and reasonably” and the family had consented to the purchase of the five disputed surgeries.
The Court of Appeal has postponed judgement.
This dispute could result in some lengthy litigation.