L.P.S. v. M.S.F., 2015 NBCA 23

• Judge: Quigg, Green and Baird, JJ.A.
• Court: Court of Appeal (New Brunswick)
• Case Date: February 10, 2015
• Jurisdiction: New Brunswick
• Citations: 2015 NBCA 23;(2015), 435 N.B.R.(2d) 379 (CA)

L.P.S. v. M.S.F. (2015), 435 N.B.R.(2d) 379 (CA);

    435 R.N.-B.(2e) 379; 1134 A.P.R. 379

MLB headnote and full text

Sommaire et texte intégral

[French language version follows English language version]

[La version française vient à la suite de la version anglaise]

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Temp. Cite: [2015] N.B.R.(2d) TBEd. AP.018

Renvoi temp.: [2015] N.B.R.(2d) TBEd. AP.018

L.P.S. (appellant) v. M.S.F. (respondent)

(58-13-CA; 2015 NBCA 23)

Indexed As: L.P.S. v. M.S.F.

Répertorié: L.P.S. v. M.S.F.

New Brunswick Court of Appeal

Quigg, Green and Baird, JJ.A.

April 23, 2015.

Summary:

Résumé:

The parties' child (H.) was born in October 1992. Pursuant to a 2009 order, the father was ordered to pay child support of $533/month. At that time, H. was a high school student residing with her mother on the Elsipogtog Reserve. H. graduated from high school in June 2010. She began attending university in September 2010 and resided in a campus residence. The father moved to vary his child support obligations on the grounds that H. was no longer a child of the marriage.

The New Brunswick Court of Queen's Bench, Family Division, in a decision reported at (2013), 405 N.B.R.(2d) 10; 1050 A.P.R. 10, ordered the father to continue paying the full table amount of child support. The father appealed.

The New Brunswick Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal.

Editor's Note: Certain names in the following case have been initialized or the case otherwise edited to prevent the disclosure of identities where required by law, publication ban, Maritime Law Book's editorial policy or otherwise.

Family Law - Topic 2526.1

Maintenance of spouses and children - Enforcement - Orders - Suspension of enforcement - [See Family Law - Topic 4051 ].

Family Law - Topic 3998

Divorce - Corollary relief - General - Children's post-secondary education - [See second Family Law - Topic 4045.11 ].

Family Law - Topic 4045.11

Divorce - Corollary relief - Maintenance - Child support guidelines (incl. nondivorce cases) - Children over the age of majority - The parties' child (H.) was born in 1992 - Pursuant to a 2009 order, the father was ordered to pay child support of $533/month - At that time, H. was a high school student residing with her mother - H. graduated from high school in June 2010 at age 17 - She began attending university in September 2010 - The father moved for an order retroactively varying child support effective October 2011 when H. attained the age of majority - The motion judge dismissed the motion, finding that H. continued to be a child of the marriage after attaining the age of majority - The father failed to establish that the table amount of child support was inappropriate or unsuitable - The father appealed, arguing that the motion judge erred by failing to consider the "condition, needs and means" of the mother pursuant to s. 3(2)(b) of the Federal Child Support Guidelines - The New Brunswick Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal - Once the motion judge concluded that the father failed to rebut the presumptive table amount, and that the table amount was not "inappropriate", an analysis pursuant to s. 3(2)(b) was not necessary - See paragraphs 23 and 24.

Family Law - Topic 4045.11

Divorce - Corollary relief - Maintenance - Child support guidelines (incl. nondivorce cases) - Children over the age of majority - The New Brunswick Court of Appeal stated that "a court cannot deviate from the [Federal Child Support] Guidelines simply because a child has reached the age of majority. S. 3(1) of the Guidelines applies after the age of majority is reached, with a deviation permitted pursuant to s. 3(2). This requires the court to conduct an analysis of the 'condition, means, needs and other circumstances' of the child, and the financial ability of each parent to contribute to the support of the child. A payor who seeks to exclude the application of s. 3(2)(a) of the Guidelines has the onus to prove the table amount is 'inappropriate' once the child has been determined to remain a child of the marriage ... The fact that a child receives third party assistance with the payment of their post-secondary education is a legitimate consideration when assessing parental contribution towards the eligible s. 7(e) expenses under the Guidelines, but is not necessarily relevant to the analysis pursuant to s. 3(1). This section requires the trier of fact to apply the table amount, firstly, and secondly to add the applicable share of s. 7 expenses. If this approach is deemed 'inappropriate', the court may exercise a discretionary deviation pursuant to s. 3(2)(b). The legislation does not specify the applicable criteria; however, a deviation is considered to be 'exceptional'" - See paragraphs 16 to 18.

Family Law - Topic 4045.15

Divorce - Corollary relief - Maintenance - Child support guidelines (incl. nondivorce cases) - Table amount deductions for third party benefits to children - [See second Family Law - Topic 4045.11 ].

Family Law - Topic 4050.1

Divorce - Corollary relief - Maintenance - Enforcement - Enforcement authorities - Duties - [See Family Law - Topic 4051 ].

Family Law - Topic 4051

Divorce - Corollary relief - Maintenance - Enforcement - Suspension of enforcement - A father was required to pay child support pursuant to a court order - The father's lawyer sent a letter to the Family Support Orders Service (FSOS) requesting the suspension of child support payments - The letter implied that the mother had consented to termination of the payments and that a consent order was being signed and would soon be processed - The FSOS withheld the payments - The New Brunswick Court of Appeal stated that there was no authority that permitted an enforcement officer to unilaterally vary or disregard a court order in such a fashion - The withholding of payments by an enforcement officer could only be achieved by judicial order - See paragraphs 25 and 26.

Droit de la famille - Cote 2526.1

Entretien des épouses et des enfants - Exécution - Ordonnances - Suspension de l'exécution - [Voir Family Law - Topic 2526.1 ].

Droit de la famille - Cote 3998

Divorce - Mesures accessoires - Généralités - Études post secondaires des enfants - [Voir Family Law - Topic 3998 ].

Droit de la famille - Cote 4045.11

Divorce - Mesures accessoires - Ordonnances alimentaires - Lignes directrices sur les pensions alimentaires pour enfants (y compris les cas hors-divorce) - Enfants majeurs - [Voir Family Law - Topic 4045.11 ].

Droit de la famille - Cote 4045.15

Divorce - Mesures accessoires - Ordonnances alimentaires - Lignes directrices sur les pensions alimentaires pour enfants (y compris les cas hors-divorce) - Déductions pour les prestations de tiers parti aux enfants - [Voir Family Law - Topic 4045.15 ].

Droit de la famille - Cote 4050.1

Divorce - Mesures accessoires - Ordonnances alimentaires - Exécution - Les autorités de contrôle - Obligations - [Voir Family Law - Topic 4050.1 ].

Droit de la famille - Cote 4051

Divorce - Mesures accessoires - Ordonnances alimentaires - Exécution - Suspension de l'exécution - [Voir Family Law - Topic 4051 ].

Cases Noticed:

D.M.A. v. M.S. (2012), 391 N.B.R.(2d) 189; 1013 A.P.R. 189; 2012 NBCA 63, refd to. [para. 5].

Willick v. Willick, [1994] 3 S.C.R. 670; 173 N.R. 321; 125 Sask.R. 81; 81 W.A.C. 81, refd to. [para. 11].

J.P. v. R.R. (2004), 278 N.B.R.(2d) 351; 728 A.P.R. 351; 2004 NBCA 98, refd to. [para. 12].

Fletcher v. Keilty (2004), 269 N.B.R.(2d) 302; 707 A.P.R. 302; 2004 NBCA 34, refd to. [para. 12].

Hickey v. Hickey, [1999] 2 S.C.R. 518; 240 N.R. 312; 138 Man.R.(2d) 40; 202 W.A.C. 40, refd to. [para. 13].

D.E. v. L.E. (2014), 426 N.B.R.(2d) 284; 1110 A.P.R. 284; 2014 NBCA 67, refd to. [para. 13].

T.D.L. v. A.-G.L. (2014), 423 N.B.R.(2d) 359; 1103 A.P.R. 359; 2014 NBCA 57, refd to. [para. 13].

Brooks v. Brooks (2014), 419 N.B.R.(2d) 326; 1090 A.P.R. 326; 2014 NBCA 29, refd to. [para. 13].

Savoie v. MacNeill (2015), 433 N.B.R.(2d) 359; 1130 A.P.R. 359; 2015 NBCA 11, refd to. [para. 13].

McGregor v. McGregor (1994), 148 N.B.R.(2d) 176; 378 A.P.R. 176 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 15].

Rebenchuk v. Rebenchuk (2007), 212 Man.R.(2d) 261; 389 W.A.C. 261; 2007 MBCA 22, refd to. [para. 17].

M.V. v. D.V. (2005), 296 N.B.R.(2d) 275; 769 A.P.R. 275; 2005 NBQB 412 (Fam. Div.), refd to. [para. 17].

W.P.N. v. B.J.N. (2005), 207 B.C.A.C. 76; 341 W.A.C. 76; 2005 BCCA 7, refd to. [para. 17].

Lewi v. Lewi (2006), 209 O.A.C. 344 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 18].

Frances v. Baker, [1999] 3 S.C.R. 250; 246 N.R. 45; 125 O.A.C. 201, refd to. [para. 19].

Statutes Noticed:

Divorce Act Regulations (Can.), Federal Child Support Guidelines, SOR/97-175, sect. 3(1) [para. 16]; sect. 3(2) [para. 9].

Federal Child Support Guidelines - see Divorce Act Regulations (Can.).

Counsel:

Avocats:

Kenneth W. Martin, for the appellant;

M.S.F., appeared in person.

This appeal was heard on February 10, 2015, before Quigg, Green and Baird, JJ.A., of the New Brunswick Court of Appeal. Baird, J.A., delivered the following reasons for judgment for the court on April 23, 2015.