Billionaire property tycoon Michael Fuchs has been found in contempt of court for breaching two orders made by the High Court in March, in a long-running divorce dispute with his former wife, journalist Alvina Collardeau-Fuchs.
The application to commit Fuchs to prison for contempt was made by Collardeau, who alleged he had sold US properties in breach of an order preventing him from doing so, and had filed two affirmations and a memorandum opposing Collardeau’s US application for domestication of orders made by the High Court in breach of a second order.
In 2022, Collardeau was awarded more than £28 million in money and assets, but the High Court hearing in March found Fuchs had attempted to “frustrate or impede enforcement” of the order and used a “sham” tenancy agreement to evade his financial responsibilities.
In October, Mr Justice Poole ruled the former couple’s family home, said to be worth £36 million, must be sold and the profits given to Collardeau. In the October hearing, the judge criticised Fuchs’ evasive approach to legal proceedings, and said he had “no confidence” he would abide by future court orders.
In the latest hearing, also heard by Mr Justice Poole, Fuchs admitted breaching the orders as alleged but rejected the claim he was in contempt of court.
On behalf of Fuchs, who did not attend the hearing, Mr Chamberlayne KC claimed the March order was defective as it had not been personally served as required and no order for alternative service was effective, citing Ahmed v Khan [2022] EWHC 1748 (Fam). He also claimed the court had no power to make the prohibitive injunction in the March order that prevented him from prohibiting US domestication.
Rejecting both claims, Mr Justice Poole found “beyond reasonable doubt” that Fuchs was in contempt of court by selling the properties in June 2025, and that the order “carried an appropriate penal notice”.
“Mr Fuchs was present, by a remote link, as a litigant in person at the hearing before me on 28 March 2025. He was not served personally with the order but he was served by email.”
Referring to an earlier hearing before Mrs Justice Knowles in August 2024, Mr Justice Poole pointed out an order had been made for alternative service to an email address belonging to Fuchs, which “shall constitute good service upon the respondent.”
He added:
“The Defendant had received other documents and orders via that email address. He had been served with notice of the application heard on 28 March 2025 at that email address. As I have noted in a previous judgment, the Defendant has sought to frustrate and impeded the orders of Mostyn J and Gwynneth Knowles J in the proceedings.”
Addressing the claim Mrs Justice Knowles had acted ultra vires, Mr Justice Poole acknowledged the court had “very arguably overreached its jurisdiction and the consequences of the order were not made clear to the Defendant at the hearing.” However, he said did not regard the lack of clarity “to be a procedural defect”.
Although Fuchs had since paid over $41m to the applicant in part satisfaction of court orders, a dispute remained around whether the money was ‘clean’.
Finding Fuchs guilty of contempt of court, Mr Justice Poole adjourned sentencing to allow time to establish the effects of the payments.
Collardeau v Fuchs: Contempt of Court – Neutral Citation Number: [2025] EWFC 413
