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“It means that people should try to settle their affairs reasonably, much sooner and not spend as much money on lawyers,” he said.

“It should be viewed as being cautionary.”

The delays caused much higher legal fees than might otherwise have been necessary, he added.

He praised Forgeron for her role in the case, calling her a “terrific, dedicated judge” whose decision was critical in bringing the case to a conclusion.

Forgeron had noted in her decision earlier this year that prior to her contempt finding that Vrege Armoyan had left North America, while his former wife struggled to get by in poor accommodations in Boca Raton, Florida, borrowing money from her family and relying on credit.

Niman said the settlement means that his client, her three children and Vrege Armoyan can move on and live with a greater sense of security.

Leigh Davis, the Halifax lawyer for Lisa Armoyan, said the settlement also means that Vrege Armoyan can return to Canada or the United States without facing arrest or fines.

The difficulty in family law is that it’s not always rational behaviour … that is one of the problems with deterrence

Charles Lichtman, a Florida-based lawyer who represented the businessman, said his client is still overseas but is pleased with the outcome.

“If people are going to be creative and put their heads together, they can solve almost any problem and I think that’s what happened here,” he said in an interview.

The lawyer said the agreement ensured the children were looked after “in a very significant way.”

Rollie Thompson, a family law expert at Dalhousie University’s law school, said he believes the settlement is among the largest in Atlantic Canada.

He agreed with Niman that the case may be useful to judges in similar circumstances, but he also raised questions about whether it will serve to deter others from dragging out proceedings.

“The difficulty in family law is that it’s not always rational behaviour … that is one of the problems with deterrence,” he said.