The court held that a wife who had not made either a direct or indirect contribution to the family home would be given a 50% beneficial interest in that home upon divorce a mensa et thoro. It based its ruling on Article 41.2 of the Irish Constitution, under which the State has a specific duty to try to ensure that mothers are not obliged by economic necessity to engage in work to the neglect of their duties in the home. It ruled that a woman should have her work as a homemaker and mother taken into account in calculating her contribution toward acquisition of the home.
法院认为，对于在家庭住所既无直接也无间接贡献的妻子，在因床第不睦而离婚时，将给予其该住所50%的受益权益。法院的裁决依据是爱尔兰宪法第41.2条，根据该条规定，国家有一项特殊职责，即努力确保母亲不会因经济需要而不得不从事工作，以致忽视其在家中的职责。法院裁定，在计算女性对购置该住所的贡献时，应将其作为家庭主妇和母亲所做的工作考虑在内。
