Rushdie and Mohsin

In the matter of *Rushdie and Mohsin*, heard before Johnston J in the Federal Circuit Court of Australia, the dispute concerned the existence of a de facto relationship between Ms Rushdie and Mr Mohsin. The court was required to determine whether the parties had been in a de facto relationship for a period relevant to the application of the *Family Law Act 1975* (Cth).

The central legal issue before the court was whether the evidence established that Ms Rushdie and Mr Mohsin had been in a de facto relationship within the meaning of the *Family Law Act 1975* (Cth). This involved an assessment of the nature of their relationship and the duration of cohabitation, if any, to satisfy the statutory criteria.

Johnston J applied the provisions of sections 90RD(1) and (2) of the *Family Law Act 1975* (Cth) to the facts before him. The court found that a de facto relationship did exist between Ms Rushdie and Mr Mohsin, commencing no later than August 2009 and concluding in May 2015. The court declared the existence of this de facto relationship pursuant to the relevant sections of the Act. The proceedings were subsequently listed for further directions.