Financial request 21yrs after divorce

O got married in 1996 and divorced in 2002, I signed our council house over to her (which I later was told I shouldn't have done as I made myself homeless) she had everything in the house and the car (that I later bought off of her as she couldn't afford the running cost and needed something cheaper).
I was paying maintenance for son that she had, after awhile I got custody of him and never received a penny from her for him as she was on benefits.
anyway.. she never pursued a financial settlement at the time of the divorce, and as it had cost me alot already (she got legal aid) I left it as is..
so 21 years later (she's re-married) she now wants a settlement.. i think she is entitled to a small amount of my pension that I accrued while married (is that right?) but she wants cash now!.
I'm OK to part with a small sum, but seriously 21yrs!! she doesn't work, nor her husband, living off benefits, get rent paid etc etc..
Few letters are going back and forth, no solicitors involved as yet, I just need to get some concrete advice and get it put to rest.

She's remarried and divorced years ago. She's entitled to nothing.

I would be inclined to take some legal advice before entertaining any discussion about final settlement. You can usually get a free half hour with a solicitor or you may want to book a legal financial consultation.
As far as I am aware there is a remarriage bar on applications in respect of capital - although if she was the petitioner this may not be an issue. I believe pensions may still be considered but a lot will depend on circumstances. What exactly is she looking for?

What you do need is a Clean Break order to stop future claims. You may have to part with some 'go away' cash to achieve this - usually based on what it might cost to take the matter to court.

Hadenoughnow

Who was the applicant in your divorce?

She was the petitioner, I was the respondent.

She was the petitioner, I was the respondent.

I've now received a DIY contract from her to sign agreeing to pay her £16k.. we've not agreed on any sum as yet.
I didn't have that sort of money in 2002 when we divorced, so why should she get that much now?

Sometimes paying a modest amount of 'go away' money is cheaper than going to court, especially if you are represented.

Her DIY contract is not going to be legally binding; you need a Consent Order stamped by the court.

Before you even consider settling I would ask for full financial disclosure and take legal advice. A fixed price consultation can be booked via this site.

If she was petitioner she may have ticked the appropriate boxes to allow a financial claim to have technically started. This would mean she can apply to court if she really thinks she has a case. The thing is the further aware from the divorce you are, the more any case weakens. A claim on your pension is possible but equally you signed away assets so it may be seen as fair exchange. You could do a rough calculation to work out the worst case pension scenario - CETV divided by years paid in then multiply by the length of marriage plus cohabitation and divide by 2. If she has pension that needs to be considered too. If pensions are substantial an actuary is best placed to advise.

Hadenoughnow