Armstrong dentist deemed ‘vexatious litigant’ loses once more in decade-long court docket battle – Vernon Information

Photo: CTV News

The BC Court of Appeal has ruled an Armstrong dentist won’t be able to file any more lawsuits in a decade-long custody battle until he pays up on child support.

The May 2 decision by the three-judge panel says Andrew Nicholas Hokhold, identified only by his initials in the ruling, must pay arrears believed to be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars and any legal fees before he can continue his “scorched earth” legal battle.

Hokhold was deemed a “vexatious litigant” in 2017 and barred from taking further legal action against his former spouse without permission.

In December, his last appeal, claiming abuse of process against three judges and the BC attorney general, was rejected.

Hokhold has submitted thousands of pages of documents and dozens of court orders have been issued since his ex relocated to Saskatchewan with their two children. Hokhold has lost them all.

Meanwhile, he has defaulted on child support and “stonewalled” the court system “by filing obviously irrelevant material and flouting the registrar’s directions,” the last decision stated.

As of 2017, Hokhold owed $450,000 in back child support.

His latest legal action sought to review previous three court orders.

“Applications dismissed … the appellant is prohibited from filing any document in this court, with limited exceptions. The appellant is a vexatious litigant in high-conflict family litigation and was previously found to have engaged in family violence against the respondent,” the judgment states

“The appellant did not establish any error of law or principle made by any of the judges whose decisions were reviewed.”

“In this court alone, since being declared a vexatious litigant, he has filed over a half dozen notices of motion,” Justices Elizabeth Bennett, Barbara Fisher and Leonard Marchand noted.

Hokhold “should not be permitted to hide behind his children while he brings frivolous and abusive claims … his conduct in this litigation amounted to family violence,” the panel added.

They also ruled Hokhold can no longer represent himself in court, and must use a lawyer.

In 2019, Hokhold told the Vancouver Sun the legal battle had cost him more than $15 million.