Gold Coast Lawyer - Property Lawyer | OMB Solicitors

The number of pets, particularly dog ownership, has grown exponentially over the years and with it, the complexities of such ownership when it comes to family law disputes. In this podcast, Accredited Family Law Specialist Abbi Golightly explores this matter. The post How the Court Treats Pets in Family Law Disputes appeared first on OMB Solicitors . source https://www.omb.com.au/how-the-court-treats-pets-in-family-law-disputes/

Despite pet ownership being a hallmark of Australian life, it is not very common to see the Full Court of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, in an appeal judgement, making a specific comment on the ownership of a pet in a family law dispute. In Grunseth & Wighton [2022] FedCFamC1A 132 (26 August 2022) the de facto Wife appealed an order which provided for the division of assets after a relationship of just under three years in the proportions 47.5% to her and 52.5% to the de facto Husband, as well as requiring the transfer of ownership of a pet dog. The primary judgement devoted some 25 paragraphs to the determination of who was to own Roxy, and it concluded that the de facto wife was to transfer ownership of the dog to the de facto husband. In reaching that conclusion the primary judge found that the de facto Wife was the registered owner of Roxy, had paid for Roxy and was at law her legal owner. However, the Court went further to state: Roxy was joint de fac...