Crabapple Spousal Support Lawyer
Spousal support, or alimony, can be tricky to calculate in certain circumstances. Fortunately, you don’t have to petition the court for payments or for a reduction in your financial obligations to your ex alone.
Our team of diligent family law attorneys is here to help you through the process of obtaining, refuting, or reducing alimony payments. Consider working with one of our steadfast Crabapple spousal support lawyers to increase your chances of obtaining a favorable outcome.
What is Spousal Support?
Spousal support, or alimony, is support made by one spouse to the other when they live separately. State law provides several options for alimony depending on each spouse’s financial circumstances and other aspects of the marriage. Spousal support can be temporary, permanent, or be given as a lump sum. Alimony can be a part of divorce or separation proceedings, as well as spousal abandonment cases.
Alimony is not ordered in every divorce or separation, however. Spousal support may be considered when one spouse needs time to find a job or other financial resources during and after the separation. Whether a lesser-earning spouse needs time to find employment or finish an education program, the spouse responsible for paying alimony must have the financial means to do so.
Permanent Alimony
Under Official Code of Georgia Annotated §19-6-4, spousal support can become permanent upon the finalization of a divorce or permanent separation. A Crabapple court may also order permanent alimony if evidence shows that one spouse abandoned the other.
Despite its name, permanent alimony can be revisited and modified if the financial circumstances of either spouse change, or if the receiving spouse remarries. A local attorney can help parties’ whose circumstances have changed petition the court for a change in spousal support.
Determining Alimony Payments in Crabapple
Local family courts will consider the following factors to determine an appropriate amount of spousal support:
- Financial resources of both spouses;
- Each spouse’s training, education, and employment opportunities;
- Each spouse’s contributions during the marriage, including child care, homemaking, and investment in the other’s education and/or career;
- Duration of the marriage;
- The debts or liabilities of both spouses;
- The ages and overall health of both spouses; and
- Other factors deemed relevant by a judge.
In addition, a spouse must ask for alimony during the divorce or separation proceedings. A lawyer’s assistance could be paramount to a party’s ability to effectively request spousal support from a local court during a divorce case. This includes presenting evidence to support that alimony is warranted in a particular case.
Enforcing Spousal Support Payments
If a party fails to pay alimony, A Crabapple lawyer can help their former spouse ask the court to intervene and order them to make the payments. Under O. C. G. A. §19-6-28, the court can hold the non-paying spouse in contempt of their order to pay spousal support.
Get in Touch with a Crabapple Spousal Support Attorney Today
An experienced attorney on our team may be able to help answer your questions about alimony payments. What you may be entitled to will depend on a variety of factors, so it is best to discuss your goals and expectations with legal counsel before entering litigation with your ex. A Crabapple spousal support lawyer can also explain your legal options if your former spouse is refusing to make alimony payments after a separation or divorce. Contact our intake team today to get started on your case.
