Husband Is Ordered To Pay His Ex-Wife $216,000 For 25 Years Of Unpaid Housework

In a record divorce settlement made public, a businessman has been ordered by a Spanish court to pay his ex-wife £180,000 for 25 years of unpaid domestic labor. The amount is calculated based on the annual minimum wage throughout the couple’s marriage. The ruling states that Ivana Moral had spent almost all of her time looking after the family and working as a housewife. 

Ivana’s husband is also ordered to pay her a pension equivalent to £444 monthly, as well as £356 and £533 to their two daughters, who are 20 and 14, respectively. 

Speaking of the verdict by Judge Laura Ruiz Alaminos of the court in Velez-Malaga, Southern Spain, Ivana told the inews website: “Clearly, this was a case of abuse to be completely excluded financially (by my ex-husband) with nothing left after my marriage ended, so me and my daughters were left with nothing after all these years of putting all my time, energy and love in the family.” 

The mom-of-two tied the knot with her ex-husband in 1995 and asked for a divorce in 2020. 

Ivana insisted she’s happy with the payout after years of hard work, adding: “I was supporting my husband in his work and in the family as a mother and a father. I was never allowed access to his financial affairs; everything was in his name.” The legal papers showed a breakdown of what she would have earned annually for the years between June 1995 and December 2020. 

In a separate interview with Cadena Ser Radio, the mom revealed her husband didn’t want her to work outside the home and would only let her work at the gyms he owned, where she handled public reactions and acted as a monitor. 

Otherwise, Ivana continued: “I have dedicated myself exclusively to housework, looking after my husband and the house. He made me take on the specific role of doing domestic chores, to the extent that I was in a place where I couldn’t do much else.” The ruling has made her very happy and Ivana insisted it’s because it was “very well deserved.” 

The ex-husband, who had only wanted to split their home and possessions following the divorce is, however, expected to appeal the decision.

Notably, the couple’s marriage had been governed by a separation of property regime, which Ivana’s husband had asked her to sign at the beginning of their marriage. It was specified that whatever each party earned was theirs alone, with them only sharing possessions. This arrangement would have left Ivana with no access to any of the wealth acquired through years of partnership. 

Ivana is satisfied with the outcome of her case and she wants women to know what they are entitled to.