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Things to consider when requesting alimony

In the context of a Texas divorce, Alimony is commonly one of the most contentious subjects that a family law attorney can discuss with their client. If you are a person who believes that they are in need or deserving of Alimony, then you probably understand why this is. A divorce is, ideally, supposed to be the beginning of a new. In two persons lives after being connected through marriage for many years. A clean break is what almost every person who goes through a divorce is after. Part of that clean break is cutting ties with your spouse where possible and attending to the necessary things like raising children together as a team. Alimony is a way to maintain a relationship with your ex-spouse many spouses, even those in a position to receive Alimony, do not wish to prolong.

When it comes to Alimony, my opinion is most of us get our information about this subject from television and movies. The fact is very few divorces in Texas have Alimony is a feature of the case. There are many reasons for this, and we will discuss at the outset of today’s blog why Alimony is so rare even to this day. HOWEVER, what I would like to do first is going through some of the more common terms that relate to Alimony in Texas so that you can differentiate between the different types of spousal support available to divorced persons in our state. There is no point in having an in-depth discussion about Alimony before we can define our terms.

A discussion on Alimony terminology in Texas

alimony is a term that we hear quite a bit about divorces mostly, in my opinion, because other states have Alimony, and this is a term we hear a lot in the media, especially on Movies and television. However, at least in Texas, there are multiple forms of what is commonly referred to as Alimony. Each term is about items that may differ from situation to situation Or maybe applied to your case differently.

If you are still in the middle of a divorce, you may be eligible for what is known as temporary spousal support. Quick spousal support is what it sounds like. This would be temporary support and intended to help you pay your bills during the relatively short time that your divorce encompasses. For example, suppose you were learning how to live on your income alone during the divorce and still had bills and other responsibilities that required more revenue than you could provide. In that case, it may be ordered that temporary spousal support be paid to you to pay these bills in other responsibilities met.

What we see quite a bit in the post-divorce lives of married persons is that rather than Have spousal support be extended to after the divorce, a division of the community a state will occur where the spouse who needs extra income will be awarded a more significant share of the community estate so that this property can be liquidated. Money can be received in this fashion. This prevents a longer-lasting need to bond between two persons who are not on the best of terms.

Why would judges go to great lengths to avoid having to set spouses up to pay one another post-divorce support? There are many reasons, but in my opinion, The general feeling among family court judges is that spousal maintenance or contractual Alimony is best avoided if possible. Let’s discuss each of these two terms that I just introduced.

Spousal maintenance refers to post-divorce spousal support intended to help provide for a spouse’s minimum basically while they adjust to life as a single person. Spousal maintenance is limited in duration. Storylines in movies where a husband is ordered to pay a wife a certain sum of money until that wife passes away is not a realistic scenario in Texas. Based on the length of your marriage, different awards are possible. However, no spousal maintenance award monthly may exceed 20% of the payor spouse’s net monthly income

if you and your spouse were not married for at least ten years. It is doubtful that you will be able to receive an award of spousal maintenance from a judge. The awarding of spousal maintenance in a Texas divorce is a relatively new phenomenon, with changes to the law regarding spousal maintenance having been instituted as recently as 25 years ago. Again, the idea is that spouses should exchange property in a division of their community estates and have one spouse be economically tied to the other after a divorce is complete.

The other primary type of spousal support after a divorce is known as contractual Alimony. Contractual Alimony is an arrangement whereby you and your spouse agree in mediation to have support payments made after the end of a marriage for a certain length of time. You and your spouse would have greater authority over setting limits to how long special maintenance is to be received and how much money is to be paid. As long as the terms of the agreement are not thought to be unconscionable by a family court judge, you are likely to have these orders included in your final decree of divorce.

However, suppose you agree to have spousal support paid via contractual Alimony. In that case, you need to be aware that family court judges typically cannot enforce the terms of this portion of your decree. The reason is that contractual Alimony is more along the lines of something to be implemented under contract law rather than family law. Spousal maintenance orders are handed down by a judge and are subject to his authority. On the other hand, contractual Alimony is agreed to between Spouses in is more akin to contract law.

Therefore, while you and your spouse are free to agree with yourselves to have contractual Alimony be paid, it is a riskier venture than having a divorce judge hand down orders from the bench. That’s not to say that you all could not make the scenario work and that contractual Alimony is not a good idea for your specific circumstances. However, if you believe that it will be challenging to have your spouse follow through on your agreement, that may be something to consider within the confines of your divorce.

What do you need to consider when requesting Alimony?

Now that we have discussed the basic terminology and circumstances surrounding the different types of Alimony in Texas, we can now go through what you need to consider within your cases when requesting or negotiating for support payments to be made. The first thing that I would keep in mind is the likelihood that a family court judge would be willing to award you spousal maintenance in a trial. While most Texas divorce is settled before trial if your circumstances demand that you all have a test, one of those circumstances may involve spousal support. Your odds are being awarded spousal maintenance in a divorce trial will likely impact how you negotiate for contractual Alimony during mediation.

Consider that if a judge is unlikely to award you spousal maintenance in the divorce, your spouse will be much less willing most likely to negotiate with you regarding maintenance payments. You can attempt to deal as firmly as possible with them. Still, suppose your spouse understands that the likelihood of your being awarded maintenance in a trial is very low. In that case, you probably won’t get very far in negotiating for contractual Alimony. Keep this in mind as you determine the course of your negotiations and what subjects you may be pushing for.

It may be more realistic and preferable for you to negotiate for a split of your community estate that awards you a more significant share of the property. Think about it in these terms: do you want to be connected to your ex-spouse in a meaningful way like this long after your divorce is ended? It may feel good on some level and may be necessary for others to receive financial support after your divorce.

However, often you can receive support via the sale of property in a divorce that is much preferable to receiving a monthly payment from your ex pass. Consider how much easier it is on some levels to sell a piece of land, a house, or any other property available in your divorce rather than to have to rely upon an ex-spouse to make payments to you every single month.

What do you need to be aware of after your divorce if you are awarded spousal maintenance or contractual Alimony?

If you are awarded spousal maintenance in your divorce, you need to be aware of several different subjects about whether that award can be voided after your divorce is done. Indeed, the awarding of post-divorce support is not guaranteed for the life of the prize if particular circumstances arise. The first circumstance that I would keep in mind is the possible passing of your ex-spouse. Typically, a responsibility to pay spousal maintenance or contractual Alimony goes away when your ex-spouse passes. There may be some exceptions out there to this general rule. Still, if your spouse passes away, their state is not responsible for continuing to make spousal maintenance or contractual alimony payments.

For this reason, many divorcing spouses will require that their ex-spouse take out a life insurance policy and name their ex-spouse as the beneficiary. Once the life insurance payment is made, this will be the end of any responsibility for that deceased spouse or their estate to make payments. Talk with your divorce attorney about this setup to learn more about the details and how it may impact your case.

Secondly, if your or your ex-spouses’ financial circumstances change a great deal after your divorce, then a modification of this spousal maintenance order may be requested. Alterations of a family court order may be granted if the circumstances of one of the parties or your children have substantially and materially changed since the rendition of the prior order. For example, suppose your ex-spouse has paid you spousal maintenance for a couple of years but has since lost their job or suffered it is a disability. In that case, they may be able to request a modification Of the spousal support given their inability to earn a living near or equal to what they had acquired at the time of your divorce.

Finally, there is a rule against cohabitation with a romantic partner that would and the responsibility for your ex-spouse to pay you contractual Alimony or spousal maintenance. The devil, however, is in the details. If you begin to cohabitate with a romantic partner, your ex-spouse could request to terminate the order to pay spousal maintenance moving forward. But that forces your ex-spouse to come up with evidence showing the nature of your relationship and the nature of your living situation. As relationships and housing situations become more fluid as the years go by, this may be a more difficult thing one would imagine proving in court. However, the general rule is that once the spouse cohabitates with a romantic partner, the obligation to pay spousal maintenance ceases.

Questions about the material contained in today’s blog post? Contact the Law Office of Bryan Fagan

If you have any questions about the material contained in today’s blog post, please do not hesitate to contact the Law Office of Bryan Fagan. Our licensed family law attorneys offer free of charge consultations six days a week in person, over the phone, in via video. These consultations are a great way to learn more about Texas family law and how your circumstances fit within the context of the law as a whole.

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