A BRIDE pushed into signing a prenuptial agreement two days before her $35,000 wedding has won a court fight to scrap it.

The Melbourne woman told a judge the groom ambushed her with a proposed prenup and threatened to jilt her unless she signed.

Faced with cancelling the reception, prepaid by her parents, the woman assented despite­ knowing she’d be disadvantaged if the marriage crumbled.

The union did subsequently break down - leaving the wife to support their two young children on limited funds.

The couple were together six years, and engaged for 11 months before tying the knot.

The husband claimed he’d informed his bride of his wish for a binding financial agreement well before the wedding.

It had been produced at a late stage because it was last on his pre-wedding “to do” list, he said.

The now-separated couple can only be referred to by the court-ordered pseudonyms “Mr and Ms Parkes”.

The Federal Circuit Court heard that, in the hectic 48 hours before the wedding, Mr Parkes drove his beloved to a lawyer so she could get advice on the agreement.

The court heard the lawyer, known only as “Mr C”, commented if she was his client, he would tell her not to sign.

Giving evidence by video link from prison, where he is being held on an unrelated matter, the lawyer said he had no recollection of meeting the wife, though he said a signature on a key document was his.

Under the terms of the agreement, the wife retained her assets but had no other entitlements­ in case of divorce.

At the time of the wedding, the wife’s only assets were a $10,000 car and some superannuation.

The husband had a $280,000 property, a $390,000 term deposit, a $20,000 bank account and some superannuation - a list which grew “substantially” during the marriage, the court heard.

Federal Circuit Court Judge Maurice Phipps ruled the woman would suffer hardship if the agreement was not set aside, because she was primary carer for two young children and was reliant on welfare.

“She was clearly in a position of special disadvantage and the husband knew so,” the judge found.

fiona.hudson@news.com.au