kathleen wyatt has won the right to fight for a  payout from her ex husband  energy businessman dale vince, 20 years after they divorced  she has taken jobs picking fruit, and since the mid 1990s has lived largely on benefits her current home is a former council house in monmouth, south wales, bought on a mortgage for £60,000 under right to buy laws it was described in court as being damp and badly heated by contrast, her former husband has founded ecotricity, now one of the uk's biggest green energy companies, worth at least £57million the strict vegan lives in a £3million 18th century castle near stroud, gloucestershire, with his second wife and their five year old son mr vince also owns forest green rovers football club where he has banned red meat for players and supporters mr vince's son dane moved in with his father in 2001 after the business began to take off in december 2012 a judge ordered the ex husband to pay ms wyatt £125,000 but he challenged the ruling and appeal court judges struck it out yesterday, supreme court justices ruled in favour of ms wyatt and said her claim should be heard by a judge in the family division of the high court she is demanding almost £2million lord wilson, speaking for all five justices, said that under 1973 divorce legislation the courts should have taken into account the years ms wyatt looked after the couple's son 'he was brought up by ms wyatt,' the judge said 'she struggled to do so they were 16 years of real hardship for her and her family at times they lived in caravans they moved home frequently they lived from hand to mouth' lord wilson said the burden had fallen on ms wyatt and her contribution had been unmatched by mr vince mr vince turned from new age traveller to the founder of a multi million green energy firm, ecotricity  kathleen wyatt (left) pictured with lawyer barbara reeves (right) after justices said the case could be heard  ms wyatt is pictured leaving the supreme court today (left) after judges ruled her application can be heard by the high court and in  2003 (right) after the two new age travellers had divorced  as a result, the case should now be reconsidered by a family court, he said lord wilson added: 'unwisely, miss wyatt has pitched her claim at £19million and it is obvious … that an award approaching that size is out of the question her claim may even be dismissed kathleen wyatt's legal victory opens the way for divorcees to claim a pay off from their ex spouse decades later supreme court judges – lady hale, lord clarke, lord wilson, lord hughes and lord hodge – said appeal judges had been wrong to throw ms wyatt's original case out on the basis she had no reasonable grounds, in 2013 the justices said under the 1973 matrimonial causes act, a family judge in a divorce case must consider who has cared for the home and any children lawyers said the case would encourage copycat claims james brown, of firm jmw, said: 'it amounts to nothing short of a call to action … [it] underlines how there is no limit on when someone can make a claim it doesn't matter whether you divorce in your 20s and return with a claim when you're 80' there was no recorded financial settlement from ms wyatt's divorce 'but there is … a real prospect that she will secure a comparatively modest award, perhaps of a size which would enable her to purchase a somewhat more comfortable mortgage free home' ms wyatt's solicitor, barbara reeves of law firm mishcon de reya, said: 'she looks forward to concluding the litigation as quickly as possible' ms reeves added that mishcon would try to win a costs order against mr vince to cover its fees, which have so far swallowed up all but £2,539 of the £125,000 awarded to ms wyatt in the earlier court hearing after the ruling, mr vince said: 'i am disappointed that the supreme court has decided not to bring this case to an end now, over 30 years since the relationship ended 'we both moved on and started families of our own 'for my part the passing of time is extremely prejudicial, it's been so long that there are no records … it's hard to defend yourself in such circumstances indeed, the delay itself has enabled the claim, because there is no paperwork in existence' he added: 'i feel that we all have a right to move on and not be looking over our shoulders this could signal open season for people who had brief relationships a quarter of a century ago it's mad in my opinion' ecotricity has earned mr vince considerable wealth and he spent almost £1million building his electric supercar, nemesis, from a second hand second hand lotus exige it can reach speeds of up to 170mph  vince lives in an 18th century fort in stroud in gloucestershire, which he bought for around £3million  millionaire is the chairman of forest green fc and was pictured watching a match against stockport in 201  mr vince received an obe at buckingham palace in 2004 for services to the environment vince (centre) is pictured with his son dane vince (left) from his marriage to kathleen wyatt and his second son sam (right)
kathleen wyatt dale vince new age the 1980s 1992 vince ecotricity annual more than £40million wyatt 2011 court of appeal supreme court ms wyatt 19million years
kathleen wyatt and dale vince lived as new age travellers in the 1980s . couple divorced in 1992 and mr vince founded green energy firm ecotricity . firm is successful with an annual turnover of more than £40million a year . ms wyatt lodged a claim for maintenance in 2011 from her former husband . this was blocked at court of appeal after mr vince argued it was too late . but supreme court ruled ms wyatt has a right to apply for cash payout . said £19million was 'out of the question' but she was entitled to a sum . court heard that ms wyatt had lived 'hand to mouth' in years after divorce 