Man fined thousands for contempt in divorce battle involving Maple Ridge homes

A man has been fined tens of thousands of dollars by a BC Supreme Court judge for repeatedly violating court orders to accurately detail his assets in a messy divorce battle that includes two Maple Ridge homes – but the judge stopped short of agreeing to his wife’s request to jail him for 60 days for contempt.

The names involved in the case have been redacted and the couple share two children. The contempt finding started with a “without notice” order when the wife found out her husband had placed a second mortgage on the family home and then sold it without telling her – depositing nearly $1 million into his bank account.

The order from a judge restrained him from dealing with any assets in which the claimant may have an interest, including assets of the company, or withdrawing funds from any bank accounts in his or the company’s name.

But a judge discovered that the man breached the terms of the order requiring him to provide financial information about the company, and account for and deposit the home sale proceeds.

The husband was also ordered to deposit a bunch of gold bars that were in his possession into a safe deposit box.

The court ruling says that the husband didn’t provide proof he had carried out any of the judge’s orders.

The judge fined the husband another $5,000 for contempt and was hit with a $24,000 special costs order to cover his wife’s legal bills. The gold bars were eventually deposited, along with a USB with a video showing them being placed into the box.

The latest court ruling saw a judge fine the husband another $7,500 for repeated contempt of court orders, but no jail was ordered.

“Aggravated as this conduct is, in my estimation, it does not yet rise to the level at which imprisonment should be considered,” said the court ruling.