Home / Business and Economy / DJ Ex's Appeal Unmasks Private Family Court Battle
DJ Ex's Appeal Unmasks Private Family Court Battle
2 Mar
Summary
- Businessman appealed a £500,000 legal costs order from a private family dispute.
- The appeal forced a private family matter into open court, naming parties.
- Matthew Pringle owns Manuka Doctor; Olivia Nervo is part of DJ duo NERVO.
A UK businessman's attempt to appeal a legal-costs order has inadvertently exposed a private family dispute, allowing both parties to be publicly identified for the first time. Matthew Pringle, owner of the New Zealand honey company Manuka Doctor, appealed a Family Court order requiring him to pay 75% of his former partner Olivia Nervo's legal costs.
These costs, exceeding £500,000, stemmed from earlier private proceedings conducted under strict reporting restrictions. By escalating the matter to the Court of Appeal, Mr. Pringle triggered a procedural shift, moving the hearing from private Family Court rules to the public civil procedure rules.
Justice Eleanor King clarified that in the public Court of Appeal, the parties could be named. While Mr. Pringle and Ms. Nervo can now be identified in relation to the appeal, the specific findings of their private Family Court matter remain under reporting restrictions.
Mr. Pringle is also known as the 'Honey King' in New Zealand and is part of the prominent Erceg family, beneficiaries of the late Michael Erceg's Independent Liquor empire. Ms. Nervo is one half of the Australian DJ duo NERVO with her twin sister Miriam.
The couple met in 2016 on Necker Island and their relationship lasted over two years, resulting in a child. The specifics of their relationship breakdown and the Family Court's findings are not publicly available.
