Reported matters
We have intentionally kept this list selective. Litigation results depend on the facts, evidence, law and procedural posture of each case. These decisions are included because they illustrate issues the firm has handled in contested family and appellate litigation.
Ontario Court of AppealSupreme Court of Canada leave application
Surridge v. Ross, 2024 ONCA 314
Drury acted for the respondent in an appeal concerning jointly held property, unjust enrichment and the financial consequences of unequal contributions to a home owned by unmarried partners.
The Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal from the summary judgment result. The record included that the respondent had made the down payment and subsequent payments associated with the residence. The Supreme Court of Canada later dismissed the opposing party’s application for leave to appeal, with costs.
PropertyUnjust enrichmentSummary judgmentAppeal
Ontario Superior Court of Justice
Bueckert v. Sutherland, 2020 ONSC 815
Drury acted in a support dispute involving an adult child whose disability remained relevant to dependency and the continuation of child support beyond age 18.
The decision is useful because it illustrates a point that is sometimes lost in shorthand discussions of child support: reaching the age of majority does not automatically determine whether a child remains entitled to support. The court considered the child’s circumstances and continued dependency, and costs were awarded to Drury’s client.
Child supportAdult childDisabilityCosts
Ontario Superior Court of JusticeDivisional Court
Hevey v. Hevey — disclosure, forensic audit and security for costs
A series of reported decisions in a high-value family-law dispute addressed financial disclosure, a forensic audit, preservation orders, costs and security for costs on appeal.
In Hevey v. Hevey, 2022 ONSC 6685, the court made extensive disclosure orders and ordered the respondent to bear the cost of a forensic audit. In Hevey v. Hevey, 2023 ONSC 4864, Drury successfully obtained an order requiring payment of outstanding costs and $25,000 in security for the pending appeals. A subsequent challenge to that order was dismissed in Hevey v. Hevey, 2024 ONSC 1138.
The decisions are included here because they demonstrate the procedural side of complex financial litigation: disclosure obligations, enforcement of prior orders, appellate costs and the consequences of continuing litigation without satisfying existing costs obligations.
Financial disclosureForensic auditSecurity for costsAppeal procedure
