Mother wins $13.4 million in child support settlement

HALIFAX— A fitness model who battled for years to get child support from a wealthy real estate developer has received a $13.4-million out-of-court settlement that her lawyers say is a deterrent to fathers who needlessly delay payments.

Sources close to the Nova Scotia and Florida cases confirmed the amount, though details of how it will be paid to Lisa Armoyan and her three children remain part of a confidentiality agreement between herself and her ex-husband.

Vrege Armoyan, a Nova Scotia businessman and developer, was sentenced in Juneto four years in prison and fined for defying a Nova Scotia court order to pay child and spousal support arrears.

In her original decision, family court judge Theresa Forgeron noted that Vrege Armoyan had shifted more than $23 million and a milliondollar yacht from the country during the acrimonious, six-year court struggle.

Forgeron said in her decision that Armoyan “abused the legal process for his own purposes,” and had taken a “scorched earth approach.”

“Warnings, rebukes, censures, and a contempt application have not curbed Mr. Armoyan’s errant behaviour,” she wrote at the time.

Trial lawyer for Lisa Armoyan, Harold Niman, says the settlement completed Tuesday should signal to spouses that it’s unwise to needlessly delay support payments through court processes.

“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, causing her a “terrific, dedicated judge” whose decision was critical in bringing the case to a conclusion.

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.