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Hill’s lawyers argue Haudenosaunee laws should trump Ontario family law when it comes to Indigenous families. The repercussions of this case, to be heard by the Ontario Court of Appeal on Sept. 11, could reverberate across the province, and perhaps more broadly, by diverting Indigenous women from the family court system into a system based on Indigenous traditions.

“This is a novel case with a firm foundation,” says Andrew Lokan, Hill’s lawyer. “American Indian tribes have been administering family law for decades. We are confident that, if permitted, Haudenosaunee results would be recognized and followed by Mr. Hill. The community has traditional dispute mechanisms that are robust.”

Brittany Beaver — Hill’s ex and the mother of their son — currently receives child support of $33,000 a month, but she has been fighting to determine Hill’s true income and wealth, according to court documents. The stay-at-home mom and student says she earns less than $10,000 a year and her claim for spousal support has not been resolved.

The community has traditional dispute mechanisms that are robust

After two years of litigation, Hill provided some financial disclosure according to the filings, revealing a salary of $5.49 million. But his total yearly expenses are $7.4 million and his legal bills alone in 2017 were $1.2 million. According to court documents, Hill doesn’t pay income tax because of Indian Act exemptions.

Beaver says Hill told her he is a billionaire. Hill denies that, saying that no one, including himself, has “seemingly unlimited financial resources.” She alleges Hill “repeatedly threatened her that she will never know his true income or net worth because he doesn’t file income tax returns and has connections that will assist him in hiding his assets from her.” He denies saying this.