Thread: Finland : Thai Ex-Wife Wins Alimony Case in Supreme Court

Thai Ex-Wife Wins Alimony Case in Supreme Court


Finland's Supreme Court ruled in favour of the Thai-born ex-spouse.
Image: Touko Yrttimaa/YLE

Poor language skills and a lack of education may entitle an immigrant to support from a former spouse after a divorce. Finland's Supreme Court has ordered a Helsinki man to pay three years' worth of support to his Thai-born ex-wife.

In a ruling issued on Wednesday, the court declared that the woman had been left without income after the marriage broke up.

After moving to Finland in 1994 to marry the Finnish man, she remained home for 10 years to take care of their three children, except for working briefly without pay in the couple's restaurant, which has since closed. As a result, her Finnish language skills remained weak, she did not gain professional training or accrue pension. The husband, who was 16 years older than his wife, filed for divorce in 2004. He has since retired.

He was ordered to pay his ex-wife 10,800 euros, equivalent to 300 euros a month for three years after the divorce. The court said that after three years she should be able to fend for herself. The mother had sought an indefinite monthly alimony of 500 euros.

Helsinki's District Court and Appeals Court had previously rejected the woman's claims for alimony. The lower courts ruled that the woman should have been responsible for supporting herself after the couple split up.

yle.fi

He was ordered to pay his ex-wife 10,800 euros, equivalent to 300 euros a month for three years

The court said that after three years she should be able to fend for herself.

in thailand maybe, in finland i wouldnt think 300 euros would go very far.

He got off lightly, would have thought she was entitled to more that's only about 160 quid.

She would have taken (atleast) half of what he owns if it was in Australia - especially because of this:

she remained home for 10 years to take care of their three children,

He got off lightly, could have paid much more and much longer in America. These men who take bar girls back to western countries are sometimes foolish. (she may not have been a bar girl but its the same thing). The moment she gets off that plane she has the same rights as any western woman. When I was a lawyer I saw men with mail order brides lose their homes and everything else in divorces the woman had planned all along. Use him as a ticket to the West, then find someone her own age. They also accuse the man of being violent, that way Immigration would allow them to stay in the country.

The moment she gets off that plane she has the same rights as any western woman.

Thank fuk for that.

Brilliant to see.

Pity this piece of shit (legally fighting to keep the woman he married and bred with in hopeless poverty.) Pity she didn't get half his pension for life.