Woman must repay $500,000

 

A former prostitute in Auckland has been ordered to repay her ex $500,000 after failing to prove he gave her the money as a gift.

High Court Justice Pamela Andrews ordered the woman - who is referred to as Ms Jones for legal reasons - repay the $500,000 that the man had deposited into her bank account two years ago.

The man, referred to as Mr Smith, said he gave the money to Ms Jones so that they could buy a house together.

Mr Smith and Ms Jones met while she was working at a massage parlour in Auckland in late 2007.

The wealthy businessman said he felt sorry for her and wanted to help Ms Jones leave the parlour, so he offered to pay her $NZ5000 a month and "secure her future" if she left.

Ms Jones left the parlour in April 2008 and Mr Smith began depositing $5000 into her account each month.

During the course of their relationship Mr Smith also gave Ms Jones clothes, jewellery and an expensive car and paid for her travel.

Their relationship ended in mid 2010 but resumed a year later.

From that date Ms Jones received only $2500 a month from Mr Smith, although he continued to pay for gifts, a car, and $50,000 in renovations to her home.

In 2012 the pair began looking for a house where they could live together.

Unable to find a suitable house, Mr Smith deposited $500,000 into her account which he said represented his share of the property they hoped to buy.

A few months later the relationship ended.

When Mr Smith asked Ms Jones to return the money, she refused.

Ms Jones claimed the money was part of Mr Smith's earlier promise to take care of her.

Justice Andrews found there was no evidence the money was a gift.

"I do not accept Ms Jones' submission that statements as to `securing my future' necessarily lead to a conclusion that the payment was a gift," she said.