James Morgan Copinger-Symes v Maria-Christina Perez De La Sala & Anor

Facts

The applicant husband, Mr James Copinger-Symes, and the first respondent wife, Ms Maria-Christina Perez De La Sala, married on 24 October 1998 and separated in July 2017. Divorce proceedings began in August 2017, decree nisi was pronounced on 22 March 2018 and decree absolute on 9 June 2022. A consent order compromising the financial remedies proceedings was approved on 4 March 2022 and sealed on 18 March 2022. The wife subsequently applied to set that order aside, which led to the joinder of her mother, Ms Terrill Perez De La Sala, as intervenor; a company, Dexfield Limited, was also joined but has taken no part at this stage. The set aside application was heard over eight days in May 2024 before HHJ Edward Hess, sitting as a Deputy High Court Judge, who gave a written judgment on 29 May 2024, reported as [2024] EWFC 415, and by order of 7 August 2024 set aside the consent order, dismissed the intervenor's application and reserved the costs of all applications made since 4 March 2022 to the final hearing of the renewed financial remedies application. The Court of Appeal granted permission but dismissed all appeals on 17 March 2026. The matter returned to the judge, who directed written submissions on the post-March 2022 costs, the intervenor otherwise being discharged as a party.