Woman Hit With $200K Bill By Alleged Older Lover After Turning Down His Marriage Proposal

Melbourne dance teacher Marie Lacombe has learned that the price of turning down a marriage proposal from an older man is in the tune of $200,000. The 42-year-old single mother claimed she was never romantically involved with 65-year-old Bruce Dusting, but he maintained she led him on to get money from him.

The non-couple met on the dance floor. For him, it was a love affair. But for her, it was strictly ballroom. They became good friends, though, and he had often accompanied her to dinner and visited her home regularly.

But when Mr Dusting proposed marriage and Ms Lacombe turned him down, that’s when things got sour. He sent her an invoice totalling over $200,000 for all the things that he has ever spent on her and her children, including dental appointments, Zumba classes, cosmetic surgery, children’s parties, and shopping trips.

He told “A Current Affair” that he loaned her money and kept track of everything he spent.

“All of this was playing against my feelings to try and get more money for her – that’s the way I see it,” he said.

Ms Lacombe, meanwhile, is telling a different story, saying that she asked for a loan for just one time, which was worth $25,000, but the rest of the things he spent was apparently given to her out of kindness.

“When I moved into my house, he went and bought a bed for myself and for my children. I didn’t ask him to do that,” she told the Channel 9 program, adding that he was only bitter because she didn’t want to marry him.

Furthermore, Ms Lacombe alleged that it’s Mr Dusting who owes her money for the time that he worked for him as an office assistant.

“Where’s my money for working for him for four years? When he can sit down and give me my pack back, we’ll do the difference,” she challenged.

An emotional Mr Dusting was adamant, though, vowing that “she will not get away with it.”