SAS hero battles heiress ex-wife to keep £27m gift from her parents | UK | News

A former SAS major is locked in a court battle with his heiress ex-wife over a £27million gift given to her by her parents. Maria-Christina Copinger-Symes, the former manager of rock band INXS, is in a legal battle with James Copinger-Symes, 57, who she claims failed to disclose a gift given to her by her parents.

Ms Copinger-Symes, a member of Australia’s Perez de la Sala shipping dynasty, split from Mr Copinger-Symes and agreed to pay him £1.2 million. The deal left him with a fortune worth an estimated £5.25 million. But the heiress now claims she is entitled to £14 million after discovering the huge gift given to her ex-husband by his parents following their divorce.

The court heard how his parents, Bobby and Felicite Perez de la Sala, stood by their son-in-law, who was described as “embracing his position as a member of the family”.

Ms Copinger-Symes became estranged from her relatives in 2017 following an argument over ownership of a property in London, according to a 2024 ruling by the Central Family Court.

Despite the gift being given after the divorce, Mr Justice Hess ruled last year that he knew he was in line to receive the gift before signing the divorce settlement with his ex-wife in March 2022, and was therefore found guilty of “failure to disclose”.

Richard Todd KC, who appealed against the decision which forced Mrs Copinger-Symes to agree to a £14 million settlement, said for Mr Copinger-Symes: “The wife knew there would be very significant support for her son-in-law from his parents.”

Speaking at the Court of Appeal last week, he added: “There would be no gift if there was a danger that your partner might make a claim.

“We respectfully say that the court erred in deciding not to make a relevant disclosure… The gifts were not marriage-related and there was no allegation of sharing in this regard.”

Dakis Hagen KC, speaking on behalf of Copinger-Symes’ mother Felicite, said the gift was given “on the clear understanding that the spouse could not claim any rights over them”.

Justin Warshaw KC, on behalf of his wife, argued that the original decision in his favor should stand.

She said: “After all, the money comes from the family and if there was no marriage the husband would not have the opportunity to receive it.

“The judge found that the husband was guilty of fraudulent failure to disclose in the context of previous financial settlement proceedings with his wife and that there was no proper basis for the husband to return the gifts.

“The gifts given to the husband were intended to be direct gifts.

“This determination is not only decisive in terms of the spouse’s mother’s situation in terms of the gift, but also poses a problem in terms of the spouse’s mother’s accidental lawsuit.”

Following a two-day hearing, Court of Appeal judges Lord Justice Moylan, Lady Justice Andrews and Lord Justice Nugee reserved their judgment in the case for delivery at a later date.