An Ontario judge recently ordered that a father pay almost $25,000 for failing to disclose relevant financial information in a child support dispute within a reasonable period of time. What Happened? The former couple met in 1981 when they were both 19 years old, and were in a common-law relationship for approximately four years, resulting …
Read MoreThe British Columbia Supreme Court recently ruled that a man who was misled into believing he was the biological father of a child does not owe any continued child support for that child even though he was found to have assumed the role of a parent during the early years of the child’s life. The …
Read MoreThe Ontario Court of Appeal recently upheld the dismissal of a claim filed by a man who sued his former sexual partner after she became pregnant with his child. The man had alleged that the woman had deprived him of being able to choose when to have a child and wanted more than $4 million …
Read MoreThe basic principles of child support with respect to a biological parent’s obligation to pay are relatively straight-forward: the non-custodial parent is obligated to pay child support to the custodial parent in an amount determined by a formula. Issues of custody (shared, sole, etc.) and issues surrounding the financial needs and means of the parties are often …
Read MoreThe Basics of a Paternity Agreement A “Paternity Agreement” is a type of Domestic Contract. A Paternity Agreement will typically arise in a situation where parties: have a child or children together; are not married; and are ending the relationship. The Family Law Act of Ontario (FLA) defines a Paternity Agreement as follows: Definitions 1. (1) In this …
Read More“Doctor sues gay friend for child support, 16 years after he first donated sperm to her” This eye-catching headline appeared recently in a national newspaper. The article, written by Ashley Csanady, explores the unique facts of this case, and questions whether Bill 28, the All Families are Equal Act, might help protect sperm donors, such as …
Read MoreWhat is a Separation Agreement? A separation agreement is a legally binding contract created between two partners, subsequent to their separation. It sets out each party’s rights on issues such as: child custody and access; division of property; debts; child support; and spousal support It’s possible for parties to draw up a separation agreement on …
Read MoreWhether you’re the recipient or payor of child support, you may be wondering how child support orders are enforced in Ontario. Non-payment of a child support order in Ontario is dealt with by the Family Responsibility Office – FRO. [The FRO] collects, distributes and enforces child and spousal support payments. [It] work[s] to flow payments …
Read MoreIt’s not uncommon for a parent to seek to impute income to other parent for the purposes of support calculations, especially if they suspect he or she is intentionally under-employed. In a recent decision of the Ontario Court of Justice (Charron v. Carriere), the Court imputed income to both the father and the mother, finding that …
Read MoreOnce child support has been determined and your divorce finalized, few would want to revisit the process. However, from time to time one or both ex-spouses may need to re-negotiate the original terms of child support due to some material change in circumstance. Such a change is never easy for either parent and it may …
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