Spousal maintenance is an emotionally-charged issue in divorce. I’ve handled many cases requiring a trial because the parties could not agree on whether alimony was appropriate, or the amount and duration of spousal maintenance. Maintenance is tricky because, unlike child support, there are no formal guidelines or formulas to assist divorce litigants in determining what
Your ex hates the idea of giving you even a penny of alimony or child support. You suspect that, in an effort to minimize these payments, your ex has hidden considerable income or assets. Your response can determine whether he or she is held accountable for this despicable behavior. Follow these simple steps to uncover
Spousal maintenance, also called alimony, allows a lower-earning spouse to retain a standard of living similar to the one that he or she enjoyed during the marriage. Once this arrangement has been established, under what circumstances can it be changed?
The alimony process aims to create fair results based on the marriage’s history, the spouses’
An amendment, introduced in the Minnesota Legislature on March 15, 2016, proposed an change to Minn. Stat. sec. 518A.39, Subd. 3, which will terminate alimony payments if the recipient remarries or dies. HF1333 or the “cohabitation bill” also covers situations in which a recipient cohabitates with another person.
Many
Spousal maintenance (often referred to as “alimony”) involves one party to a divorce paying the other to assist them with routine household expenses following the dissolution of the marriage. The law in this area is extremely complex. For purposes of this post, it is presumed that an award of spousal maintenance is appropriate among the
Once an award of spousal maintenance (alimony) is ordered by the court, it may be modified if certain criteria are met. In order to modify and award of alimony, the party seeking modification obtains a court date and serves and files motion papers. Keep in mind that the modification, if granted, is usually only retroactive
In December of 2009, Minnesota Judge Stephen Halsey (chambered in Wright County) launched his Minnesota Family Law Issues Blog, a terrific resource for both lawyers and litigants. As I understand, Judge Halsey’s blog is the first of it’s kind in Minnesota (from the judiciary). His unique perspective provides an interesting addition to the exchange
Spousal maintenance, formerly known as alimony, is one of the more difficult issues to tackle during the dissolution process. With the exception of child custody, no other issue is as personal or emotionally charged to divorce litigants.
It is quite difficult to predict exactly how much spousal maintenance the court will award a particular party.
