British High Court Told of Divorce Orders Mistakenly Approved Due to System Glitch

The British High Court has been informed that dozens of divorce applications were mistakenly granted due to a computer error, allowing them a day earlier than legally permitted.

During a hearing, it was revealed that 79 divorces were mistakenly approved because the online system failed to detect that these applications were submitted exactly on the couples’ one-year marriage anniversary. Under British law, divorces are only permitted one year and one day after marriage.

Lawyers for the Lord Chancellor are seeking a decision from the court to deem these divorce orders as “voidable,” meaning they should be upheld rather than nullified, as overturning them could have “serious legal and practical consequences.”

In written arguments, Sir James stated, “If final divorce orders are nullified, it would mean that separated couples who believed they were divorced would be considered legally married again.”

He added that this would have “serious legal and practical consequences” and that, for affected couples, “these outcomes would likely be highly distressing and unfortunate.”

Sir James Eadie KC also noted that many couples have expressed serious concern over the possibility that they may not be legally divorced from their former partners.

Furthermore, he pointed out, “If the court finds these divorce orders void, it will significantly impact individuals who have since remarried or whose financial arrangements were based on the affected divorces.”

The court was informed that, between April 6, 2022, and April 30, 2024, a total of 96 divorce applications were submitted by applicants and lawyers on the exact one-year marriage anniversary, of which 79 resulted in final divorce orders.

In two cases, the issue was identified before orders were issued, while the rest remained “in the system.”

The court was told that some individuals have since remarried or plan to do so.