Martha Aeava v. Oa Heupu, 28 February 1986.
The Court held that a husband cannot be ordered to pay maintenance to his former wife under the Deserted Wives and Children Act of Papua New Guinea if their marriage was dissolved according to customary law.  It ruled that the question of maintenance would have to be governed by customary law.  It noted that, under customary law, it would be most unusual for a husband to have to pay maintenance and that a wife's relatives usually took on that obligation.
D003906:Developing Countries; D004243:Divorce; D004467:Economics; D007603:Jurisprudence; D008393:Marriage; D008542:Melanesia; D010139:Pacific Islands; D010219:Papua New Guinea
Court Decision; Developing Countries; Divorce; Economic Factors; Melanesia; Microeconomic Factors; Nuptiality; Oceania; Papua New Guinea; Spousal Support--legal aspects