Ms Madley was 16 years old when her parents arranged for her to marry a man from Lebanon that she had met only once before. The wedding was scheduled to take place in Lebanon within two weeks of her urgent application to the Court.

She gave evidence that she was fearful for her safety and her mother’s reactions and that she did not want to marry the young man she was engaged to.The Court ordered that her parents be restrained from removing, attempting or causing removal of, Ms Madley from Australia. Ms Madley’s passport was also to be surrendered to court and she was placed on the airport Watch List.

Case Citation

Madley & Madley and Anor [2011] FMCAfam 1007