In January 2021, a decision was made by the Ontario Superior Court regarding a motion in the ongoing Cohen v. Cohen Estate matter. This case involves a widow making a claim against the estate of her late husband on several grounds, including a decades-old marriage contract, an application for equalization of net family property, and a claim for dependent support.

As this matter demonstrates, a surviving spouse who believes themselves to have been unfairly left out of the will of their late spouse has several options in terms of litigation against the deceased’s estate. If a marriage contract existed between the spouses previously, providing for one spouse in the event of the death of the other, then the surviving spouse could move to enforce the marriage contract and make an appropriate claim upon the estate.

In the alternative, the surviving spouse can bring an application under the Family Law Act (“FLA”) to effect an equalization of net family property. This would be functionally similar to the process of asset equalization after a divorce or separation, only that the claim would be against the estate of the deceased spouse, rather than against their living person.

Also in the alternative, the surviving spouse can also bring an application under the Succession Law Reform Act (“SLRA”) for dependent support. Essentially, if the surviving spouse were to sufficiently prove to the Court that he or she was financially dependent upon the deceased while they were still living, then the surviving spouse could be entitled to an appropriate amount of cash to support their former lifestyle with their late spouse.

Finally, a surviving spouse can also make equitable claims of unjust enrichment, promissory estoppel, or proprietary estoppel. The essence of all three of these claims is that the deceased benefitted disproportionately from work that their spouse contributed to their relationship, and that the surviving spouse is therefore entitled to financial compensation, as a result.

Thank you for reading!

Fred Tonelli