Do you have an alimony obligation to your former spouse? Do you suspect that your former spouse is living with a significant other? Have your former spouse and their significant other been posting on social media, attending parties together, vacationing together, spending holidays together? Does it seem like your former spouse’s significant other is ALWAYS at their home?
If you’ve answered “yes” to any of these questions, then you may want to consult an attorney. If your former spouse is cohabitating with their new significant other, then you may be able to reduce, modify or terminate your Alimony obligation to them. Each case is different, and properly analyzing the facts of each matter is essential to determine if you qualify to have your Alimony obligation suspended, modified or terminated.
While it is clear that the remarriage of a former spouse will terminate your obligation to continue paying Alimony, nonmarital cohabitation with a significant other is not nearly as clear. Consulting with an Attorney can help you to determine whether you should take any legal actions to address whether your Alimony obligation should continue.
Conversely, if you are the recipient of Alimony, and have begun a dating relationship, what should you do to avoid a claim from your former spouse to terminate that support? There may be actions that you can take to avoid a modification or termination of your alimony payments. Discussing your concerns with a Family Law Attorney regarding the effect that your new relationship may have on the Alimony your receive may prove helpful to avoid an application to terminate, modify or end the financial support that you are receiving.
Understanding the intricacies of the effect that cohabitation will have on support can be difficult. The Family Law Attorneys at Cohn Lifland can offer insight into the complexities of nonmarital cohabitation, and what effect that may have on Alimony.