MacCarthy v. MacCarthy, 2015 BCCA 496

• Judge: Newbury, Willcock and Savage, JJ.A.
• Court: Court of Appeal (British Columbia)
• Case Date: November 09, 2015
• Jurisdiction: British Columbia
• Citations: 2015 BCCA 496;(2015), 380 B.C.A.C. 102 (CA)

MacCarthy v. MacCarthy (2015), 380 B.C.A.C. 102 (CA);

    655 W.A.C. 102

MLB headnote and full text

Temp. Cite: [2015] B.C.A.C. TBEd. DE.007

Maria Rose MacCarthy (respondent/claimant) v. Robert Dane Joseph MacCarthy (appellant/respondent)

(CA42427; 2015 BCCA 496)

Indexed As: MacCarthy v. MacCarthy

British Columbia Court of Appeal

Newbury, Willcock and Savage, JJ.A.

December 3, 2015.

Summary:

The parties were married in 1983 and divorced in 2006. They had three children. The father, based on imputed income of $110,000, was ordered to pay child support in accordance with the Federal Child Support Guidelines and spousal support of $2,000 per month (see [2006] B.C.T.C. Uned. A72). The youngest child ceased to be eligible for child support in 2012. The father applied for a review of spousal support in 2013. The mother applied for a recalculation of spousal and child support from July 2007, judgment for arrears of spousal and child support, and an order for s. 7 expenses for the children.

The British Columbia Supreme Court, in a decision reported at [2014] B.C.T.C. Uned. 2229, found that the father's income was $145,000, and ordered him to pay spousal support of $3,500/month indefinitely. The mother's application for unpaid child support and s. 7 expenses was dismissed. The father appealed, arguing that the chambers judge erred in failing to impute income to the mother and in failing to consider whether the mother's lack of employment efforts constituted misconduct which disentitled her to or should reduce the amount of spousal support. The mother cross-appealed the dismissal of her application for unpaid child support.

The British Columbia Court of Appeal dismissed the father's appeal and allowed the mother's cross-appeal.

Family Law - Topic 3997

Divorce - Corollary relief - General - Economic self-sufficiency - See paragraphs 26 to 47.

Family Law - Topic 4018.1

Divorce - Corollary relief - Maintenance awards - Review of maintenance v. variation of maintenance - See paragraphs 16 to 25.

Family Law - Topic 4021.1

Divorce - Corollary relief - Maintenance and awards - Considerations - Financial consequences of child care and household responsibilities - See paragraphs 26 to 47.

Family Law - Topic 4022.1

Divorce - Corollary relief - Maintenance awards - To spouse - Extent of obligation - See paragraphs 16 to 25.

Family Law - Topic 4027

Divorce - Corollary relief - Maintenance awards - Effect of income or potential income of claimant - See paragraphs 26 to 47.

Family Law - Topic 4050

Divorce - Corollary relief - Maintenance - Enforcement - Payment or cancellation of arrears of maintenance - See paragraphs 48 to 67.

Cases Noticed:

Housen v. Nikolaisen et al. (2002), 286 N.R. 1; 219 Sask.R. 1; 272 W.A.C. 1; 2002 SCC 33, refd to. [para. 13].

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. 14].

K.V.P. v. T.E. (2001), 275 N.R. 52; 156 B.C.A.C. 161; 255 W.A.C. 161; 2001 SCC 60, refd to. [para. 15].

R.E.Q. v. G.J.K. (2012), 319 B.C.A.C. 98; 542 W.A.C. 98; 2012 BCCA 146, refd to. [para. 15].

Leskun v. Leskun (2006), 349 N.R. 158; 226 B.C.A.C. 1; 373 W.A.C. 1; 2006 SCC 25, refd to. [para. 31].

Tedham v. Tedham (2005), 217 B.C.A.C. 250; 358 W.A.C. 250; 2005 BCCA 502, refd to. [para. 32].

Marquez v. Zapiola (2013), 344 B.C.A.C. 133; 587 W.A.C. 133; 2013 BCCA 433, refd to. [para. 35].

Jendruck v. Jendruck (2014), 360 B.C.A.C. 55; 617 W.A.C. 55; 2014 BCCA 320, refd to. [para. 35].

Yu v. Jordan (2012), 327 B.C.A.C. 170; 556 W.A.C. 170; 2012 BCCA 367, refd to. [para. 45].

D.B.S. v. S.R.G. (2006), 351 N.R. 201; 391 A.R. 297; 377 W.A.C. 297; 2006 SCC 37, refd to. [para. 51].

Burgie v. Argent (2013), 338 B.C.A.C. 164; 577 W.A.C. 164; 2013 BCCA 247, refd to. [para. 54].

Semancik v. Saunders (2011), 307 B.C.A.C. 45; 519 W.A.C. 45; 2011 BCCA 264, refd to. [para. 54].

McKenzie v. Perestrelo (2014), 354 B.C.A.C. 167; 605 W.A.C. 167; 2014 BCCA 161, refd to. [para. 55].

Earle v. Earle (1999), 3 B.C.T.C. 334; 1999 BCSC 283, refd to. [para. 58].

Counsel:

C.G. Fletcher, for the appellant;

D.M. King, for the respondent.

This appeal and cross-appeal were heard at Vancouver, British Columbia, on November 9, 2015, before Newbury, Willcock and Savage, JJ.A., of the British Columbia Court of Appeal. Savage, J.A., delivered the following judgment for the court on December 3, 2015.