Articles Posted in Spousal Support

When deciding whether to grant alimony in a divorce case, courts in Jacksonville, Florida consider many factors, including the length of the marriage, the spouses’ employment prospects, the age of each party, their standard of living, their marital contributions, their available income and assets, and the fairness of the situation.

Generally, the shorter you’ve been married, the less likely you will be awarded alimony. Similarly, age is important. If one of the spouses is about to retire, alimony might be more likely.

Jacksonville, Florida courts also consider marital contributions. You might complain that your spouse watched TV all day for twelve years while you worked fifty hours a week. You might think this means your spouse should not be entitled to alimony; however, the court will likely not consider this in granting alimony. Similarly, if your spouse ran up huge credit card debt, he or she may still be entitled to alimony. The court might look more favorably to you, however, if those debts were ran up without your knowledge.

When deciding whether to grant alimony in a divorce case, courts in Jacksonville, Florida consider many factors, including the length of the marriage, the spouses’ employment prospects, the age of each party, their standard of living, their marital contributions, their available income and assets, and the fairness of the situation.

Generally, the shorter you’ve been married, the less likely you will be awarded alimony. Similarly, age is important. If one of the spouses is about to retire, alimony might be more likely.

Jacksonville, Florida courts also consider marital contributions. You might complain that your spouse watched TV all day for twelve years while you worked fifty hours a week. You might think this means your spouse should not be entitled to alimony; however, the court will likely not consider this in granting alimony. Similarly, if your spouse ran up huge credit card debt, he or she may still be entitled to alimony. The court might look more favorably to you, however, if those debts were ran up without your knowledge.

On November 11, 2011 I wrote a blog titled, “Sexual Assault Victim Ordered to Pay Her Attacker Alimony.” In the blog I described how Crystal Harris, a San Diego area resident, was ordered to pay alimony to her ex husband whom was serving time in prison for sexual assault. Worst part about this is that Crystal was the victim of the sexual assault her ex-husband was convicted of.

This case has received a lot of attention from many across the nation, including California lawmakers. For example, Toni Atkins, a Sacramento, California Assemblymember, has introduced legislation to prevent future cases like that of Crystal Harris. The bill, AB 1522, would add violent sex felonies to the list of convictions that disqualify a person from obtaining financial benefits from their ex-spuse in a divorce proceeding.

Atkins stated in a SDGLN.com article,”The current law allowing rapists to demand payment from their spouses in a divorce is unjust.” “Victims of violent sex crimes already suffer physical trauma, fear, and an assault on their privacy and dignity. To require them also to pay their abuser alimony or to give them a share of their pension or household goods is cruel and makes a mockery of the intent behind the laws governing the fair division of assets in a divorce.”