8304 Satisfied customers
Expert in: Family Law, Legal, Estate Law, Real Estate Law, Criminal Law, Employment Law, Business Law, Consumer Protection Law, Bankruptcy Law, Traffic Law, Personal Injury Law.
8304 Satisfied customers
Jessica
Consultant
JosephE322, Expert
Hi and thank you for using JustAnswer. My name is ***** ***** I will be assisting you with your question.
I am licensed Canadian lawyer, and this conversation is for informational purposes only. I kindly ask for your patience as some questions take longer to answer and I may have to do legal research. I may be away from my desk from time to time, but rest assured I will always return back as soon as possible. If at any point during our conversation you don’t understand something, please let me know so I can clarify.
JosephE322, Expert
Good morning - sorry to hear about the situation. Do you have a separation agreement?
JosephE322, Expert
The call is automated from the website. You can ignore it if you are not interested in a call.
JosephE322, Expert
Is this a signed agreement?
JosephE322, Expert
Generally speaking, a signed separation agreement would be enforced unless you were coerced into signing it, there was a lack of financial disclosure, the agreement is grossly unfair, or a party did not understand what they were signing (lack of legal advice for example).
You could first reach out to him to see if he's open to renegotiating this agreement. If not, then you would need to go to court and ask the judge to set aside this agreement and start from the beginning.
JosephE322, Expert
It appears this issue was not resolved which is good.
You would first need to establish need and/or economic hardship. In many situations, the mother typically would stay home with a child for a number of years which would stunt her career growth and earning potential. Spousal support would help compensate her for those lost career opportunities. Economic hardship can result after a separation and spousal support can help her (or him) get back on their financial feet again.
The general factors looked at are: 1. Length of relationship 2. Financial situation of both parties 3. Role each person played in the relationship and 4. Whether the person asking for spousal support needs it to become financial independent. This is a very fact specific exercise.
JosephE322, Expert
The spousal support issue was never decided so you are free to commence a claim in court for it.
JosephE322, Expert
You would need to prove need or economic hardship as I described earlier. If you can prove it, then the court would order it. I would suggest retaining a family lawyer at this time given his lawyer indicated they won't negotiate.
JosephE322, Expert
Usually insufficient income to sustain yourself.
JosephE322, Expert
Everything is considered. The goal is for the parties to reach self-sufficiency.
JosephE322, Expert
He may sue you if you take the money out without his written consent if there was no emergency.
JosephE322, Expert
Perhaps let him know in writing you will be taking money out of the account.
JosephE322, Expert
Here is a the link to apply for legal aid: https://legalaid.bc.ca/legal_aid/howToApply
JustAnswer does not provide legal services.
JosephE322, Expert
It's an issue that has yet to be decided upon.
JosephE322, Expert
Thank you for using JustAnswer. I wish you the best of luck. If you have any follow up questions about this matter, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.
JosephE322, Expert
If it’s a legal claim you need to respond if you don’t agree. If it’s just a letter, then you can ignore it.
JosephE322, Expert
You're welcome.