Every week I speak to men who are paying large amounts of alimony.
They feel hopeless, and often have been told by several prior attorneys there is nothing they can do about it.
I Beg to Differ
I have helped countless men in this situation reduce and even fully terminate their spousal support obligations. I have helped them get their former spouses back to work, or at the very least reduced their support obligation due to their ex-spouse’s lack of efforts to seek employment and become self-sufficient.
- Was your spouse given a “Gavron Warning” at the time of trial, a warning that she should become self-sufficient within a reasonable period of time, and that failure to make such efforts is a basis for the court to reduce or terminate support.
- Did your spouse undergo a “vocational assessment” that assessed her ability to earn and was this information presented to the judge?
These are some of the many important strategies to pursue in asking the court to reduce your former spouse’s support obligation.
Don’t worry if you are earning more than you were when you completed your divorce, under a decision called “Hoffmeister II” the court can not consider your increased earnings as spousal support is limited to your marital standard of living.
Now is the time to take action!
It’s really never too early to take action to reduce spousal support. Recent decisions support the proposition that the supporting spouse should take early action to ensure that their ex-spouse goes back to work and becomes self-supporting as soon as possible.