WA director sues hubby over 'lies'


  • By Dareh Gregorian
  • From: NewsCore
  • July 29, 2010 10:20AM








LEGAL ACTION: WA Wesfarmers director Diane Smith-Gander is suing her New york husband over lies about his former life. Source: PerthNow



WA businesswoman Diane Smith-Gander is suing her New York husband claiming he duped her into marrying him, says the New York Post.

In a $US1 million Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit, Wesfarmers director Diane Smith-Gander says she met James Sias on a Colorado ski trip in 1995, and they became romantically involved.
The successful businesswoman says she told Mr Sias she only wanted a relationship with someone who had a successful career, and who had never been married before nor had kids.
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Mr Sias allegedly told her that he was just the man - he had a successful law practice and had never been married before.
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The pair tied the knot in 1997, and after they traveled around between Australia, Washington and New York - with Ms Smith-Gander paying their bills - he filed for divorce three years ago, the suit says.
At a deposition in their divorce case the past spring, Mr Sias allegedly admitted he had lied about his law career, that he had been married twice before and had kids - and he apparently used Ms Smith-Gander's cash to pay $US30,000 in back child support.
She is now suing for money damages, including the cash she has spent on their divorce since they should not have been married in the first place.