When the oligarch’s ex-wife Tatiana Soroka launched a case to sue his lawyers for allegedly failing to pocket her superyacht, she expected to receive up to £600m.
This was more than the £453m he received in what was Britain’s largest divorce settlement, an award won by top lawyer Fiona Shackleton’s firm in 2016.
Mrs Soroka, 51, said she was disappointed when the company, Payne Hicks Beach (PHB), allegedly missed the chance to seize her ex-husband Farkhad Akhmedov’s ten-story floating Luna palace in Miami.
But in papers filed at the High Court in London, PHB says Ms Soroka’s claim “must fail”, stating that “her entire claim is based on a false factual premise”.
Baroness Shackleton is nicknamed ‘Steel Magnolia’ for her ruthless pursuit of her clients’ interests.
Tatiana Soroka pictured outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London in February 2018 alongside Baroness Fiona Shackleton.
Soroka was paid £450m after divorcing Russian oligarch Farkhad Akhmedov (pictured)
Ms Soroka claims her lawyers missed opportunities to have the Luna (pictured), a superyacht belonging to her ex-husband, seized while she was in Miami.
He represented King Charles and Sir Paul McCartney in their divorces; In one memorable moment, Heather Mills poured a jug of water on him after she was awarded just £24 million of the £125 million she had asked for from the former Beatle.
In Soroka’s case, things soured after settlement money failed to materialize despite a judge ordering oil and gas magnate Akhmedov, 68, to pay.
Ms Soroka ordered PHB to chase him for the money.
Her legal complaint, which was filed last month, claims she spoke by phone with Baroness Shackleton and another of the firm’s lawyers in January 2017 and told them that her ex-husband was in Miami with their 377-foot yacht.
Built for former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, it is the second largest expedition yacht in the world and has two helipads, a swimming pool and a mini submarine.
Ms Soroka claims she asked PHB to “explore options in Miami” to seize the yacht, valued at around £200m.
In court filings, PHB denies acting negligently. She claims that Ms Soroka told Baroness Shackleton in a phone call that she was “not interested in confiscating the ship” and that she preferred to pursue Mr Akhmedov’s money and valuable works of art.
PHB said Ms Soroka “knew that attempting aggressive action against the Luna would be considered by Farkhad to be totally unacceptable (especially when his girlfriend Anna was on board and due to give birth very soon) and would have greatly inflamed the already difficult relationship between she, Farkhad and their two children.
He said that even if Ms Soroka had ordered PHB to attempt to seize the yacht, she would not have been able to afford the likely costs involved in doing so and had “no realistic means of obtaining significant funding”.
Ms Soroka (pictured outside the High Court in December 2020) claims she asked PHB to “explore options in Miami” to seize the yacht, valued at around £200m.
In 2016, Soroka secured a staggering £453m with the help of his lawyer Baroness Shackleton (pictured outside the High Court in August 2017).
The ten-deck floating palace is the second largest expedition yacht in the world and features two helipads, a swimming pool and a mini-submarine.
The ship has two helipads, a huge pool and its own mini submarine, as well as nine decks and space for 52 crew members.
PHB claims that he was “invariably late in paying (his) bills, stating that in March 2017, for example, he owed a sum of around £300,000”.
The exact amount requested by Ms. Soroka has not been specified.
But her claim claims that if PHB had acted differently, there was a “very real likelihood” she would have received the “full sum owed” under the divorce settlement or a significant proportion of it.
It says Ms Soroka “now claims damages from PHB representing the value of that lost opportunity”.
The Mail has calculated that the maximum value of this “missed opportunity” is £303m. Added to other costs claimed by Ms Sorka, the total she hopes to recover looks close to £600m.
PHB is understood to dispute the estimate of the sum sought, which is described in the court claim form as “significantly higher than £10 million”.
PHB said any potential liability would be limited to the value of its insurance coverage.
Soroka did not respond to a request for comment.
PHB said: ‘We have put forward a comprehensive defense setting out how Ms Soroka’s claim is based on a false factual premise and is legally erroneous.
‘Payne Hicks Beach remains proud of the result we achieved for Ms. Soroka, including the significant award we won for her.
“You have not suffered any financial loss that can be recovered from this company.”
