The applicant mother brought an urgent motion for the immediate return of her two children, who had remained with the respondent father after March break during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The father had unilaterally withheld the children, alleging physical abuse by the mother, which was investigated and closed by child protection authorities without finding imminent concerns.
The court found the father's actions to be a "self-help remedy" contrary to the rule of law and granted the mother's motion for the children's immediate return, along with a modest request for costs.