Avoid Single Moms! Court Rules Man Continue Paying Stepdaughter’s $24K/yr School Fees After Divorse
November 10, 2022
The dispute about whether Sydney should keep supporting Caitlyn financially ended up before Family Court Judge Andrea Manuel, who said the case posed the question: “Should the estranged husband of the mother of a 15-year-old girl be declared the stepfather of the girl?”
She decided that yes, Sydney was still Caitlyn’s stepfather and declared him to be so under Section 99 of the Child Support Act 1991.
“Mr Sydney provided for Caitlyn for about six years. He made a substantial contribution to the cost of her upbringing,” Judge Manuel said.
“He did so at first because she came as part of a package with Miss Taylor. However, as time went by, he developed a genuine relationship with her and became a father figure,” she said.
“Even if he was equivocal at the beginning of the marriage, she became part of his life and a father-daughter relationship developed,” the judge said.