Ontario Superior Court Justice Frances Kiteley ruled Friday that legendary Canadian boxer George Chuvalo, who is in significant cognitive decline, “does not have capacity to decide whether to reconcile” with his wife of 24 years.After two years of bitter legal wrangling between Chuvalo’s children — who have effectively sought to divorce their father from their stepmother — and Joanne Chuvalo, who wants to remain married, divorce proceedings began Monday.Kiteley read excerpts of her decision late Friday afternoon in a ninth-floor courtroom at 393 University Ave. Joanne, 61, was in attendance but Chuvalo, Canada’s former heavyweight champion who famously fought Muhammad Ali in 1966, was not.Kiteley also urged the family to “bury the hatchet” in order to decide the best plans for Chuvalo, 80, “in his remaining years while he continues to experience inevitable decline.”While Kiteley noted “there is evidence that Mr. Chuvalo says he wants to live with his wife,” she said the decision to reconcile is more complex than simply saying so. “Expressing a desire to live with his wife is just that,” Kiteley read from her decision.“There is no evidence that he understood whether there would be consequences to a decision to ‘live with’ his wife. Indeed, there are consequences such as changing the financial status quo between them . . . There are other consequences such as the emotional impact if the attempted reconciliation fails.”Joanne listened attentively to Kiteley, then quietly left the courtroom with her lawyers and her sister. Chuvalo married Joanne in 1994, just months after the death of his first wife, Lynne.In a separate proceeding, Joanne is still seeking guardianship of her husband. Chuvalo’s children Mitchell and Vanessa have power of attorney, the validity of which Joanne disputes.Chuvalo is now under the court-ordered legal protection of the Office o ...
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