John R QuinnJohn R Quinn
  • Home
  • Home
  • Services
    • Binding Financial Agreements
    • Divorce & Separation
    • Property & Financial Arrangements
    • Wills & Succession Act
    • Children & Parenting
    • Overseas & Expatriates
  • Our Lawyers
  • FAQ
  • News
  • Contact Us
(+61 2) 9283 3344

Brisbane judge’s ruling overturned by Family Court as a ‘gross miscarriage of justice’

A Brisbane judge who sentenced a father of two to jail for contempt of court in a family law case has been sharply criticised by Family Court appeal judges, who described his decision as an “affront to justice”.

Key points:

  • Judge Salvatore Vasta had no power to jail a man for contempt, the Family Court declared
  • Three Family Court judges called the man’s imprisonment “a gross miscarriage of justice”
  • They said Judge Vasta had “no factual foundation” for the order

Last December, Brisbane-based Judge Salvatore Vasta sentenced a man involved in a property dispute with his ex-wife to a maximum 12 months in jail for failing to disclose financial documents on time.

The man, who has two children aged five and nine, spent six days in a maximum-security prison.

He was released pending the outcome of an appeal on the decision.

In a ruling handed down earlier this month, the Full Court of the Family Court overruled Judge Vasta’s decision, with justices Peter Murphy, Michael Kent and Steven Strickland declaring they were comfortably satisfied that “what occurred here in the making of the declaration and order for the husband’s imprisonment constituted a gross miscarriage of justice”.

Continue reading on their website …

Back to News


Contact Us

John R Quinn & Co. Family Lawyers
Level 12, 60 Park Street
Sydney NSW 2000

The closest train stations are Town Hall, taking the Park Street exit, or St James Station, taking the Elizabeth Street exit. John R Quinn & Co. is on the corner of Park and Elizabeth.

Best parking is in the Domain parking station. Take the moving footway and cross Hyde Park to reach our offices.

Phone
(+61 2) 9283 3344
Email
mail@quinnlawyers.com.au
Fax
9283 3366

In The Press

Quebec introduces family law reform, would regulate surrogate motherhood

October 13, 2016quinn lawyers

6 new Judges appointed to newly merged FCFCOA

October 13, 2016quinn lawyers

Merged court system should benefit vulnerable families

October 13, 2016quinn lawyers

FAMILY LAW: Changes to family law in Australia

October 13, 2016quinn lawyers
More

John R Quinn News

John R Quinn & Co welcome Emma Mrakovcic

October 13, 2016quinn lawyers

John Quinn is a fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers

October 13, 2016quinn lawyers

Kevin O'Kane brings Succession Act experience

October 13, 2016quinn lawyers

Landmark cases continue to have impact

October 13, 2016quinn lawyers
More

FAQ

Cost disclosure

What to expect from my first appointment with a lawyer from John R. Quinn and Co.

Why should I use John R. Quinn & Co?

Why use an accredited specialist lawyer when seeking a divorce?

More
John R Quinn & Co. Family Lawyers Logo black
Accredited Specialists in Family Law
© 2020. All rights reserved. Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation.