Woman awarded $5M after split with Kelowna philanthropist

A Kelowna man must pay his ex-partner over $5 million after a B.C. Supreme Court judge ruled that love is not a necessary component of a marriage-like relationship.

According to a judgement released this week, 67-year-old Thomas Budd, a philanthropist and retired investment banker, lived with 38-year-old massage therapist Kaitlynn Fleury from February 2019 until August 2021.

Budd, who has a net worth in excess of $150 million, attempted to argue that his relationship with Fleury was not a spousal one, in part due to his belief she was never in love with him, the ruling says. The judge disagreed.

“While many people marry or enter into marriage-like relationships because they share romantic love for one another, romantic love has never been a requirement to enter into a marriage,” the judgment said.

“Nor, in my view, should it be one for people to meet the definition of ‘spouse’ under the FLA [Family Law Act].”

He also argued the relationship was not long enough to have it be considered marriage-like, the ruling said. The judge disagreed, saying the relationship exceeded the two-year cohabitation requirement as set out by B.C. law.

Because of these points, Justice J. Hughes ruled that Fleury is entitled to half of the increase in value of Budd’s applicable property, an amount totalling more than $5.1 million.

Fleury had also made claims of assault and mental abuse, but the judge dismissed these.