BOUTROS & DAHER

In the matter of BOUTROS & DAHER, Johns J made orders concerning the financial relationship between the husband and wife. The dispute involved the division of property and the resolution of financial obligations between the parties.

The court was required to determine the terms of settlement for the parties' financial matters, including the distribution of real estate, a business, motor vehicles, and other assets. The orders also addressed the refinancing of mortgages, the discharge of liabilities, and the finalisation of the parties' respective entitlements and responsibilities.

Johns J applied principles of property settlement under the *Family Law Act 1975* (Cth), with the parties having reached consent orders. The court's reasoning, as reflected in the orders, aimed to finally determine the financial relationship between the parties and avoid further proceedings. The orders stipulated specific payment schedules for the husband to the wife, the transfer of property upon those payments being made, and detailed provisions for alternative arrangements should the husband fail to meet his payment obligations. These included the wife retaining a property and the husband transferring his interest in a business to be sold out of court, with proceeds distributed according to a defined hierarchy. Further orders addressed the transfer of motor vehicles, the wife's resignation as trustee of a unit trust with an indemnity from the husband, and the severing of joint tenancies. The court also noted that the orders were intended to finally determine the financial relationship between the parties as far as practicable.