According to reports by The Guardian, the mix-up happened when solicitors at Vardags, led by Ayesha Vardag, mistakenly submitted a final divorce order for Mr. and Mrs. William instead of another couple’s. This error stemmed from an inadvertent click of the wrong button on an online portal used by the firm for legal proceedings.
Upon realizing the mistake just two days later, Vardag, often hailed as the “diva of divorce,” swiftly sought to rectify the situation by applying to the high court to rescind the final divorce order. However, the court declined the plea, citing the importance of upholding the certainty and finality of divorce orders once they are issued.
Judge McFarlane, president of the family division, emphasized the necessity of ensuring that online divorce portals do not inadvertently grant final divorce orders without proper authorization. He highlighted the potential pitfalls of such systems, noting that a series of clicks could lead to irreversible consequences, as evidenced by the swift processing of the Williamses’ divorce order within a mere 21 minutes.
McFarlane clarified that the Vardags legal team had intended to file for divorce on behalf of a different client but mistakenly accessed the electronic case file for ‘Williams v Williams,’ leading to the erroneous submission of the final order. This action was taken without explicit instruction or authorization from the concerned client, further underscoring the need for caution when utilizing online legal platforms.
(With inputs from TOI)