Residency Order - costs

~anon~_3

Please could someone help me with a query regarding residency orders?
My partners ex (they are still married), went to court approx six months ago to get a residency order for their two children. Why she did this I do not know as he was happy enough with them living with their mum. (I think she got it into her head that he was going to 'kidnap' them! ....So I suspect she told her solicitor a pack of lies and solicitors beiong as they are advised her to get a residency order.)

Anyway, he has just received a bill totalling nearly £1500 for him to pay for the residency order that SHE applied for!!!! How does that work??? I'm sure that if he had gone to court and applied for the order they would not have sent the bill to her!!

Basically the letter says he has to pay it - if he disputes it it means going to court again and if you loses it means more costs involved.

Any advice would be much appreciated!

DigitalJedi

The residency order itself comes from the court and the only "cost" of that is for the forms. Can't remember off hand how much they are but its not much.

So i can only assume the costs here are from the solicitors. Which solicitors is it? Is it your partner's solicitor or his ex's? It is very unusual for costs to be awarded against one side for family law. Usually its only when the judge thinks one side has been totally and utterly unreasonable.

If it is your partner's solicitor then i'm afraid he will have to pay it.

~anon~_3

It is my partners wifes solicitor. The breakdown itself shows something like 13 letters out, 17 letters in, also attendance at their offices etc amounting to over £700. These as far as i am concerned are other things that she had been seeing the solictor about. Why should he have to pay it. She doesnt work and is on benefit so should get legal aid.