After repeated warnings to reel in the insults, father ordered to pay $35,000 in ‘special costs’
By Ian Mulgrew, Vancouver Sun
January 19, 2014.
A father who represented himself in a custody dispute has been hammered with a $35,000 “special costs” fine for abusive behaviour during the legal battle.
In
a scathing judgment against the virulence and rancour at the heart of a
growing number of high-conflict family law cases, B.C. Supreme Court
Justice Jeanne Watchuk lambasted the man known only by his initials —
A.S.P.
She minced no words in her strident defence of civility as a necessary element of the Canadian judicial system.
The justice cited emails from the man such as — “What does a man have to do to get divorced from a wench?”
“The
conduct of the father has consistently been rude, inflammatory,
derisive, threatening, and disrespectful and insulting of the mother,
her counsel and the court process,” said Watchuk in the stinging rebuke.
“It
has not been situational or short-lived. It has been consistent over
more than two years. It has included behaviour in the courtroom, and
email communications to scheduling as well as communication with counsel
for the mother continuing after the written submissions on costs were
filed …. there is no justification for this behaviour in a court
proceeding.”
This case involves a couple who married in 2007 and separated a short time later in 2009 before the birth of twins.
They have been arguing over the children since, though a divorce was granted Jan. 25, 2012.
The
kids live with their mother, known in court documents as N.N.J., and
her parents in Surrey; the father has a home in Surrey but is a U.K.
citizen and travels frequently for business.
The legal fight lasted longer than the marriage.
The
acrimonious proceedings consumed 26 days of court time: a 19-day trial,
four applications heard in chambers, and two attempts by the father to
reopen the trial, one requiring a five-day hearing and the second, two
days.
The justice said A.S.P. has continued to threaten to report
the proceedings to the media with a view to “intimidating the (mother)
as well as her counsel …. has threatened to bring legal proceedings
against counsel for the (mother in the United Kingdom … and) threatened
to report the (mother) to foreign authorities while she is travelling
with the children.”
After the recent decision, he sent me a note
offering the “real story” on Watchuk. “Be patient, then,” he replied.
“It was either you or The Guardian (I know the editor).”
I am still waiting.
Enormous
court resources are consumed by these scorched-earth disputes and they
are almost always conducted by self-represented litigants who lack
self-control or objectivity.
Although Watchuk was willing to let
both sides in this apocalypse cover their own legal costs, the father’s
continuing belligerence overwhelmed her. She issued a “special costs”
award — a punishment only imposed by a court for reprehensible conduct.
“The
father does not demonstrate respect or the ability to communicate
respectfully,” said Watchuk, itemizing the many requests to the man to
cease his objectionable conduct and behave himself.
“The father’s
communication through the mother’s counsel has been and continues to be
vitriolic to the degree that it has become impossible.”
During
one access meeting, the father swore at a cousin of the mother’s while
holding his baby son. In an exchange with his wife’s lawyer, he made
disparaging remarks about the man’s daughter and their Jewish
traditions.
“The father rightly demands respect for his (Sikh) culture,” Watchuk said.
“It
should go without saying that the culture and religion of all
participants in the justice system are deserving of respect. The
sanctity of the family of counsel is fundamental.”
In her mind, he was acting like “a malicious bully.”
The
father maintained that his outrageous behaviour was the result of
“unique, extended and extraordinary stress and strain, arising from a
circumstance that had no end in sight,” that he had been left “in limbo
for years.”
In his mind, a confluence of factors impaired every
facet of his life — from his fundamental liberties, access to his
children, ability to earn an income, and left him at one point without a
home or furniture.
The justice had little sympathy.
“In the trial I first mentioned the necessity for respect and civility to the father,” Watchuk said.
“I
then reminded him of it. I stopped the trial on at least two occasions
when those instructions were wholly disregarded. I explained further
that civility and respect for the mother and her counsel not only
assisted the court proceedings but were fundamental to the ability of
the process to achieve a result which was in the best interests of the
children.”
He authored much of his own trouble, she added, and his intransigence pushed her to impose special costs.
imulgrew@vancouversun.com
© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun
