Strahan and Strahan

In *Strahan and Strahan*, Dawe J considered an application filed by the husband concerning property settlement proceedings. The application sought to dismiss the proceedings and vacate several upcoming court dates, including the final hearing scheduled for February 2015.

The central legal issue before the court was whether the husband's application to dismiss the property settlement proceedings should be granted. This required the court to assess the readiness of the matter for trial and the parties' compliance with procedural directions.

Dawe J dismissed the husband's application, thereby vacating the trial date and other procedural orders. The court referred the final determination of the property settlement proceedings to the bottom of the trial pool list. However, the wife was permitted to bring forward the hearing date if she filed an application supported by affidavits confirming all expert valuations had been received, necessary disclosure and discovery obtained, and the matter was ready for trial directions. Furthermore, parties were granted leave to bring further proceedings for procedural matters, provided any disputes were first addressed through private mediation at their joint cost. No orders for costs were made in relation to the application or the listing of the matter.