Category Archives: Alimony
Terminating Alimony Obligations Because Your Ex-Spouse Is in a Supportive Relationship With a New Partner
Before there was clickbait to bring out the worst in everyone at every moment, if you wanted to see people’s worst side, you had to mention the word “alimony” in conversation; suddenly, your otherwise mild-mannered interlocutor would say the worst things imaginable about the opposite sex, even if your interlocutor had never been divorced,… Read More »
Divorce and the One-Client Business
Children who grew up in the 1980s will remember the books of Richard Scarry, where two-page spreads depicted, in Where’s Waldo levels of detail, a town where everyone is doing something. The point, which children received enthusiastically, is that every occupation contributes to society. When one person bakes bread, one plants cucumbers, one sews… Read More »
What Counts as an Involuntary Reduction in Income?
Being your own boss sounds like fun until your dream of running your own business comes true. Suddenly, all the problems of the business are your problems and no one else’s. If the business is not financially solvent, neither are you, and by extension, neither is your spouse. Anyone who has tried their hand… Read More »
What Is the Difference Between Rehabilitative Alimony and Bridge the Gap Alimony?
By now, you have heard that Florida no longer awards permanent alimony, but you were probably not a candidate for alimony anyway. If your spouse was out of the workforce for most of your marriage, or if her income is a fraction of yours, you will probably have to pay some alimony, but perhaps… Read More »
The Tax Consequences of Alimony in Florida
Everywhere you look in Florida, there are reptiles that can kill you, such as the American alligator and, in certain parts of Miami-Dade County, also the American crocodile, plus others that are harmless but look plenty scary, such as the green iguana. Surprisingly, these do not make Floridians’ list of favorite subjects to complain… Read More »
How Much Do You Have to Downgrade Your Lifestyle While Your Divorce Case Is Pending?
Temporary alimony, also known as pendente lite alimony, is the most common type of spousal support awarded in Florida divorce cases. To the relief of spouses who pay alimony, a pendente lite alimony order automatically terminates when the divorce becomes final; after that, the court may or may not replace it with another alimony… Read More »
Lump Sum Alimony
Welcome to Florida, where the things that people rant and rave about on the Internet become the law of the land. For example, last year, a law went into effect whereby couples may no longer include permanent alimony as a provision of marital settlement agreements, nor may judges order it in divorce trials. The… Read More »
Temporary Alimony Can Lead to Protracted Legal Disputes in Complex Cases
Florida has finally abolished permanent alimony after many years of controversy. The thought of permanent alimony provokes strong feelings in people who might be ordered to pay it or might be entitled to receive it, but in practice, permanent alimony has only been awarded in a small minority of divorce cases in recent decades. … Read More »
If Not Permanent Alimony, Then What?
In recent years, “gray divorce,” in which both spouses are above the age of 50, account for an increasing share of divorce cases. This is partly because, in this generation, young people who feel ambivalent toward marriage no longer feel the pressure to marry someone that they consider an okay but not great match. … Read More »
Florida Alimony in the Age of SB 1416
Divorce makes both parties feel like their ex-spouse has made them financially worse off, but the effect is especially pronounced if one spouse pays alimony. Even though most alimony awards arise from marital settlement agreements (MSAs) drafted during mediation instead of from judges’ decisions, they still often result in hard feelings. The resentment you… Read More »