The respondent wife brought a motion for interim disbursements under r. 24(25) of the Family Law Rules to fund legal representation for a long motion and trial in a complex family law proceeding involving division of net family property and spousal support.
The parties had a decades-long marriage with business interests spanning Canada and Taiwan, and the case was complicated by the misappropriation of approximately $5.5 million in Taiwan land sale proceeds by an adult child.
The court granted $25,000 for the long motion, finding the respondent had demonstrated the disbursements were necessary and reasonable, that she was unable to fund the fees herself, and that her claims were meritorious.
The request for $220,000 for trial fees was dismissed without prejudice as the trial scope depended on the outcome of the long motion.
