A former traveller looks set to get a divorce payout from her ex-husband, who became a millionaire 10 years after they split.
Kathleen Wyatt, who is seeking £1.9m from Dale Vince, did not lodge a claim until nearly 20 years after their divorce.
Mr Vince has described letting her make a claim now as "mad", saying: "This could signal open season for people who had brief relationships a quarter of a century ago."
Supreme Court justices were told that the couple met when students, married in 1981 when in their early 20s, and lived a New Age traveller lifestyle.
They separated in the mid-1980s and divorced in 1992.
In the mid-1990s Mr Vince began a business career and went on to become a green energy tycoon after launching a company called Ecotricity, now said to be worth more than £57m.
Ms Wyatt, 55, lodged a claim for "financial remedy" in 2011.
Deputy High Court judge Nicholas Francis gave it the green light in 2012 but three appeal judges overturned the decision in 2013.
Now, the Supreme Court justices have ruled it should go ahead, with a judge in the Family Division of the High Court assessing the claim.
One justice, Lord Wilson, said Ms Wyatt's claim was "legally recognisable" and not an "abuse of process".
He noted she had four grown-up children, one of them a son by Mr Vince who had provided "minimal support" for him.
Lord Wilson said £1.9m was "out of the question", but there was a "real prospect" Ms Wyatt would get a "comparatively modest award".
In a statement, Mr Vince said: "I'm disappointed that the Supreme Court has decided not to bring this case to an end now, over 30 years since the relationship ended.
"We both moved on and started families of our own... it's been so long that there are no records, no court has kept anything, and it's hard to defend yourself in such circumstances - indeed the delay itself has enabled the claim, because there is no paperwork in existence.
"I feel that we all have a right to move on, and not be looking over our shoulders. This could signal open season for people who had brief relationships a quarter of a century ago... it's mad in my opinion."
Ms Wyatt said after the hearing: "It's an important judgment."
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