Refusing to Follow Orders In Family Court: Rule 1(8)
Mason Morningstar Mason Morningstar

Refusing to Follow Orders In Family Court: Rule 1(8)

Some family law litigants simply refuse to follow court orders. We should now be taking full advantage of a recent amendment to the Family Law Rules, which allows the court to impose fines for breaches of court orders.

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Two Decades Of Retroactive Child Support: $900,000
Mason Morningstar Mason Morningstar

Two Decades Of Retroactive Child Support: $900,000

“The request by the mother to adjust child support starting on August 1, 2003, initially gave the court considerable pause. This is the longest retroactive support claim this court has seen. It has not dealt with the request lightly.”

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Child Support in Ontario Family Law
Mason Morningstar Mason Morningstar

Child Support in Ontario Family Law

In some ways, child support is the simplest and most certain legal issue separating couples will face; in other ways, it can be very complex. However, most parents can assume with near certainty that, if they are separating, child support will be owed. The complexity can creep in when one or both parents’ incomes are difficult to calculate, usually as a result of being self-employed.

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Restricted Share Units (RSU) in Ontario Family Law
Mason Morningstar Mason Morningstar

Restricted Share Units (RSU) in Ontario Family Law

Conceptually, restricted share units (RSUs) are like a deferred bonus for employees. The employer promises to provide the employee with a benefit at some point in the future, after certain conditions are met. RSUs could trigger complicated family law consequences relating to property division, income for support purposes, and "double dipping". In some situations, people may have two different incomes in the family law world: one for child support (which will be higher), and one for spousal support (which will be lower).

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Do I Need A Marriage Contract (Prenuptial Agreement)? Ontario Family Law
Mason Morningstar Mason Morningstar

Do I Need A Marriage Contract (Prenuptial Agreement)? Ontario Family Law

Every married spouse in Ontario has a marriage contract by default. They may not have signed anything, but there is a legal landscape that governs their entitlements and obligations should they separate. A marriage contract is used to modify some of the laws that would otherwise apply. For many people, those laws are overall fair. For others, modifications to the law are more appropriate. This is where marriage contracts become important.

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