New romantic partners can be dragged into the fray in support disputes

Family law disputes are usually disputes between former spouses.  But doubtless to the chagrin of a spouse’s new partner, that new partner can sometimes be dragged to the proceedings, as the recent case of Politis v. Politis demonstrated.

Mr. and Ms. Politis separated in 2008 after a 25-year marriage. By 2017, the only remaining issue between them was the extent of the spousal support obligation Mr. Politis had to his wife. After separation, Ms. Politis entered into a relationship with a new partner. Mr. Politis seized on this as a way to mitigate his obligation to pay spousal support.

Mr. Politis moved in court for financial disclosure from Ms Politis’ new partner. While generally, the remarriage or repartnering of the support recipient does not mean the automatic termination of spousal support, re-partnering can be relevant when determining the extent of the former spouse’s need for spousal support.

This article was published in the National Post. To read the full article, please click here.