Love ‘em', Keep ‘em', Leave ‘em
(Non) Application of De Facto Relationship Laws to Clandestine Intimate Relationships
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12354481 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Michelle Fernando (0000-0002-1545-0309, corresponding author), OC Rundle (0000-0002-1297-9688) |
| Year | 2016 |
| Volume | 41 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 93-97 |
| Publication date | 2016-06-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Alternative Law Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1037-969X • E-ISSN: 2398-9084 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/1037969x1604100205 |
| OpenAlex | W2522816369 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 4 |
In Jonah v White the Full Court of the Family Courtconfirmed a trial judge's finding that a woman whohad been in an exclusive (on her part) relationshipwith a man for 17 years, on whom she was financiallydependent, was not in a de facto relationship. She wastherefore not able to proceed with any applicationfor property settlement or maintenance under thede facto relationship provisions of the Family Law Act1975 (Cth) ('the FLA'). We make no comment onthe strengths or weaknesses of Jonah's financial claim,because our focus is upon 'the denial of her opportunityto proceed on that substantive matter. In this article we analyse the main findings of theFull Court in applying the definition of 'de facto'in the FLA. The Court, inconfirming that Jonah and White were not in a de factorelationship, appears to have placed emphasis on thelack of 'public' aspects of the relationship, despite thefact that the very nature of the relationship, being anextra-marital affair, warranted a degree of secrecy. Weargue that this finding may have potentially serious legalor economic consequences for the more vulnerablemember of a couple who, for whatever reason, keeptheir relationship secret from others. Secrecy maycome at the price of relationship recognition
Business · De facto · Denial · Epistemology · Focus (optics · Law and economics · Political science · Property (philosophy · Property rights · Settlement (finance · Sociology · Law · Legal Issues in South Africa · Legal principles and applications · Multicultural Socio-Legal Studies · Philosophy · Psychology · Finance
| Citations per year | 0.13 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2018 - 2018 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |