Keddie v. Currie, (1991) 3 B.C.A.C. 291 (CA)

• Judge: Hutcheon, Legg and Cumming, JJ.A.
• Court: Court of Appeal (British Columbia)
• Case Date: September 12, 1991
• Jurisdiction: British Columbia
• Citations: (1991), 3 B.C.A.C. 291 (CA)

Keddie v. Currie (1991), 3 B.C.A.C. 291 (CA);

    7 W.A.C. 291

MLB headnote and full text

Alexander Campbell Keddie (plaintiff/appellant) v. Sharlane Kimberly Currie, David Sean Currie, William Miachael Currie and Gordon Shane Currie (defendants/respondents)

(CA011832)

Indexed As: Keddie v. Currie

British Columbia Court of Appeal

Hutcheon, Legg and Cumming, JJ.A.

October 11, 1991.

Summary:

Keddie and a woman lived together until 1986 when the woman died intestate. Keddie claimed a share of the woman's estate under s. 85 of the Estate Administration Act as a "common law spouse". Keddie was required by s. 85 to show that he and the woman were united "by marriage ... valid at common law".

The British Columbia Supreme Court dismissed Keddie's claim. Keddie appealed.

The British Columbia Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal.

Family Law - Topic 311

Marriage - Common law marriage - General - The British Columbia Court of Appeal reviewed the history of the common law marriage in England and British Columbia - The court stated that "common law marriages are special legal relationships which cannot, in general, be entered into in the Province of British Columbia" (see paragraph 56).

Family Law - Topic 314

Marriage - Common law marriage - What constitutes - Keddie and a woman lived together until 1986 when the woman died intestate (see paragraphs 4 to 6 and 49 to 51) - Keddie claimed a share of the woman's estate under s. 85 of the Estate Administration Act which required Keddie to show that he and the woman were united "by marriage ... valid at common law" - The British Columbia Court of Appeal affirmed a dismissal of Keddie's claim.

Cases Noticed:

Desjarlais v. Macdonell Estate (1988), 23 B.C.L.R.(2d) 195 (B.C.C.A.), refd to. [para. 11].

Louis v. Esslinger (1981), 121 D.L.R.(3d) 17 (B.C.S.C.), refd to. [para. 19].

O'Connor v. Kennedy (1887), 15 O.R. 20 (Q.B.), refd to. [para. 31].

Gilham v. Steele, [1953] 2 D.L.R. 89, refd to. [para. 32].

Taczanowska v. Taczanowaski, [1957] 2 All E.R. 563 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 38].

Catterall v. Catterall (1847), 1 Rob. Ecc. 580; 11 Jur. 914, refd to. [para. 33].

Wolfenden v. Wolfenden, [1945] 2 All E.R. 539, refd to. [paras. 33, 43].

Hyde v. Hyde (1866), L.R. 1 P. & D. 130, refd to. [para. 40].

Blanchett v. Hansell, [1943] 3 W.W.R. 275, affd. [1944] 1 W.W.R. 432, refd to. [para. 41].

Trowsdale v. McDonald (1980), 20 B.C.L.R. 1 (B.C.S.C.), refd to. [para. 42].

R. v. Millis (1843), 10 Cl. & F. 534; 8 E.R. 844 (H.L.), refd to. [para. 43].

Doe d. Breakey v. Breakey (1846), 2 U.C.Q.B. 349, refd to. [para. 44].

R. v. Coffin (1955), 21 C.R. 33 (S.C.C.), refd to. [para. 45].

Noah Estate, Re (1961), 32 D.L.R.(2d) 185 (N.W.T. Terr. Ct.), refd to. [para. 53].

Connolly v. Woolrich and Johnson (1867), 11 L.C.J. 197 (Que. S.C.), refd to. [para. 53].

Rosse Estate, In re (1951), 4 W.W.R.(N.S.) 218 (B.C.S.C.), refd to. [para. 65].

Manson v. Heaslip (Quinn Estate), [1949] 1 W.W.R. 717, refd to. [para. 65].

Sinclair v. Marne (1980), 24 B.C.L.R. 132, refd to. [para. 70].

Statutes Noticed:

Estate Administration Act, R.S.B.C. 1979, c. 114, sect. 85, sect. 86 [para. 9].

Marriage Act, R.S.B.C. 1979, c. 251, sect. 33 [para. 22].

Authors and Works Noticed:

Baker, J.H., An Introduction to English Legal History (2nd Ed.), p. 39 [para. 18].

Blumberg, G.G., Cohabitation without Marriage: A Different Perspective, (1981), 28 U.C.L.A. L. Rev., pp. 1125, [para. 20]; 1176 [para. 60].

Corpus Juris Secondum, vol. 55, p. 850 [para. 47].

Davies, Christine, Family Law in Canada (4th Ed. 1984), p. 17 [para. 36].

Dicey and Morris, The Conflict of Laws (9th Ed. 1973), pp. 234 [para. 34]; 242 [paras. 40, 43]; 246 [para. 38].

Eversley's Law of Domestic Relations (6th Ed.), pp. 14 [para. 25]; 15 [para. 27].

Hall, J.C., Common Law Marriage (1987), 46 Cambridge L.J. 106 [paras. 17, 35, 59].

Counsel:

Bruce Ralston, for the appellant;

   Mark P. Griffiths, for the respondents.

This appeal was heard by Hutcheon, Legg and Cumming, JJ.A., of the British Columbia Court of Appeal at Vancouver, B.C., on September 12, 1991. The decision of the court was delivered on October 11, 1991, and the following opinions were filed:

Cumming, J.A. - see paragraphs 1 to 74;

Hutcheon, J.A. - see paragraph 75.

Legg, J.A., concurred with Cumming, J.A.