MOSCOW, April 23 (RAPSI) – The Presnensky District Court of Moscow moved to May 28 the hearing of an appeal filed by ex-wife of Nornickel CEO Vladimir Potanin against the decision to grant divorce, RAPSI reports from the courtroom.

Potanina’s representative Fillip Ryabchenko told RAPSI that in his decision to void the marriage, the magistrate judge noted that the couple haven’t been living together since 2007. “This is an important detail which can sway the outcome of splitting the assets. The factual split between the spouses affects only the property division, but the divorce itself,” Ryabchenko added.

According to Ryabchenko, Potanin’s attorneys presented lease documents allegedly proving that the spouses were living separately, but Natalia Potanina’s representative were denied the motion to present counterarguments. Ryabchenko insists that the de facto divorce was simultaneous with the lawsuit’s filing.

With a reported net worth of $14.3 billion, Potanin is listed by Forbes as the 58th wealthiest person on the planet, and the seventh in Russia. His Forbes profile describes the billionaire as a self-made man who earned the bulk of his wealth in the metals industry.

Potanin filed for divorce in November with Moscow’s Presnensky District Magistrate Court.

On February 25, the Moscow court granted Potanin’s divorce claim, thus formalizing the couple’s split. The same day, it was revealed that Potanin had initiated asset-division proceedings in Moscow.