Vladimir Potanin's ex-wife sought billions in Moscow, then moved to London to try again, and the UK Supreme Court stopped her 3 to 2

Vladimir Potanin, controlling shareholder of Norilsk Nickel, married Natalia Potanina in 1983. A Russian court dissolved the marriage in 2014. Most of his wealth was held through trusts and companies that the Russian courts did not treat as marital property. Potanin offered $250,000 a month and homes in Moscow, London and New York; she claimed $7 billion, and later sought about $15 billion over Norilsk and Interros profits. In July 2017 a Moscow court rejected her claim as time-barred. She got a UK investor visa, bought a London flat, and in 2018 applied without notice for permission to seek financial relief in England. A judge granted it, then set it aside after finding he had been misled. The Court of Appeal restored it in 2021. On 31 January 2024 the UK Supreme Court allowed Potanin's appeal by 3 to 2 and sent the remaining grounds back to the Court of Appeal. The final outcome is not confirmed here^†.