This trial decision addresses a divorce, custody, access, child support, spousal support, and property equalization for a couple with two daughters (16 and 14) after 13.5 years of marriage and 4.5 years of separation marked by high conflict.
The court granted a divorce, ordered no custody for the 16-year-old (SHV) respecting her wishes but mandated school stability, and joint custody for the 14-year-old (CHV) with primary residence with the mother and weekend access for the father, including tie-breaking authority for education (mother) and non-emergency healthcare (father).
Child support was set at $1777/month plus 70% of Section 7 expenses.
Spousal support of $844/month was awarded indefinitely to the mother on compensatory grounds.
Retroactive support was denied due to the mother's incomplete financial disclosure and the father's post-separation payments.
Property equalization resulted in a payment owing from the mother to the father, which the father waived to offset any retroactive spousal support claim.