A law graduate, who lived with her businesswoman girlfriend for many years, is suing her for a share in a £1.3 million home they jointly owned in north-east London.
Shree Ladwa has likened the case to a divorce and says she deserves a share in the property as the effective "housewife" in the partnership.
The 43-year-old told the Central London County Court this week that while she did not have a permanent job, she had cooked and cleaned for Beverley Chapman until they split up in 2016.
"Isn’t it the truth that Shree was effectively housewife? She kept care of the house, she made sure it was always immaculate. She took care of you, supported you when you were stressed. She cooked and cleaned and did all the household chores. She was effectively the housewife and you were out making the money,” Anthony Geadah, representing Ladwa, asked Chapman during a hearing yesterday.
Chapman’s legal team has claimed that she was treated like a "cash cow" by Ladwa as she ran a successful construction company and funded the couple’s lifestyle.
The 45-year-old had put the home under dispute in Chingford in both their names only after months of badgering.
"You get to the point where you are really tired out by hearing the same thing again and again and again," Chapman said, explaining why the house bought in 2007 under her name was changed to both their names.
Her lawyer, Elizabeth Darlington, told the court that Ladwa received £25,000 a year in allowance from her mother and had not worked despite obtaining a law degree.
"The bottom line is you didn’t want to work,” Darlington said.
Ladwa, on the other hand, maintains that she had spent time on training after her degree and had applied for jobs but had not got a positive response.
Judge Stephen Murch has reserved his ruling in the case until a later date.
Damian Talbot