High Society Exes Face Off in Court Battle

A prominent businessman's appeal against a legal‑costs order from a previously private family dispute with his DJ ex has backfired - forcing the case into open court and allowing both parties to be named for the first time.

The Mail can at last reveal the long‑shielded UK court battle between Matthew Pringle, the owner of multimillion-dollar New Zealand honey productscompany Manuka Doctor, and his Australian former partner Olivia Nervo, one half of the international DJ act NERVO.

In late January, a case was heard in the Court of Appeal in England after Mr Pringle appealed a Family Court order requiring him to pay 75 per cent of Ms Nervo's legal costs, which exceeded £500,000 ($951,500).

These costs had arisen from earlier private proceedings which had been conducted under strict reporting restrictions.

But by taking the matter to the Court of Appeal, Mr Pringle triggered a procedural shift that changed what the public is allowed to know.

While Family Court findings remain subject to reporting restrictions, Mr Pringle and Ms Nervo can now be named when reporting the appeal because the Court of Appeal sits in public.

This shift was made clear by Lady Justice Eleanor King during the January 29 hearing when a lawyer for the appellant referenced an earlier Transparency Order - a type of UK Family Court order used to manage reporting so as to protect the anonymity of children and prevent 'jigsaw identification'. 

Justice King responded: 'Well, that no longer applies, of course, because that is Family Proceedings rules, and we're now governed by the CPR [civil procedure rules].

'This is a court of record. This is an open hearing - public - so the parties may be named. Rather bizarrely, we got sent a redacted skeleton argument. Don't know why that is.

'But the parties will be named in the normal way because of this is, this is the Court of Appeal.'

While Mr Pringle and Ms Nervo may now be identified as parties in the Court of Appeal, previous findings of their private Family Court matter are not automatically made public simply because their names are out in the open.

Mr Pringle is the owner of Manuka Doctor, a well-known honey business that boasts an endorsement from Kourtney Kardashian and is involved in sports sponsorships.

In New Zealand, he is sometimes known as the 'Honey King'.

He is also a member of the billion-dollar Erceg family, a dynasty largely known for the legacy of his late stepfather Michael Erceg. 

Michael, who was married to Pringle's mother Lynette Erceg, amassed an enormous fortune through his Independent Liquor empire.

Following his death in a 2005 helicopter crash, a bitter family feud arose between his widow Lynette, his mother Millie, and brother Ivan as they squabbled over his money.

Independent Liquor was eventually sold to Flavoured Beverages Group in 2007, and again to Japan's Asahi Group Holdings in 2011. 

Mr Pringle was left with a tidy NZD$5million (AU$4.21million) inheritance from his stepfather and has since developed quite the investment portfolio.

Ms Nervo, who is one half of the Australian DJ duo NERVO with her twin sister Miriam, was born in Melbourne to two dental professionals. 

She attended a Catholic girls' boarding school and began her career as model with the Australian Chadwick Models Agency alongside her twin.

However, their passion for music saw them sign on with Sony/ATV Music Publishing at 18 years of age before they jetted off to London to become accomplished DJs. 

Ms Nervo and Mr Pringle met in 2016 on Necker Island, owned by English business magnate Richard Branson, when she and Miriam travelled there to perform at an event.

Pringle was in attendance as an official sponsor through his Manuka Honey company, arriving with his lifelong New Zealand friends.  

A romance between the businessman and DJ sparked soon after that, and their relationship lasted for more than two years, and produced a child.

Further details of the breakdown of their relationship and what was found by the UK Family Court cannot be published, and Mr Pringle and Ms Nervo can only be named for the time being in the context of reporting the Court of Appeal matter. 

At the time of writing this article, judgment on the appeal has yet to be made. 

Matthew Pringle's legal representative, Marcus Rudkin, Director at Lex Partners, declined to comment when the Mail made enquiries last week.