If you don’t carefully handle your divorce, then you could wind up on the hook for a significant property settlement that leaves you on unsteady or at least undesirable financial footing when all is said and done. Add a potential order for spousal support into the mix and you can find yourself facing a bad and sometimes downright unfair outcome. Fortunately, if you understand the law, then you can protect your interests in these proceedings and hopefully secure resolution that shields you from overly burdensome orders.
How can you effectively defend against a request for alimony?
You might have several options here, depending on the facts of your case. Here are some that may prove effective in your set of circumstances:
- Gather and present evidence of your spouse’s ability to work, earn a wage and become self-sufficient.
- Highlight for the court your expenses, thus demonstrating the limited amount of funds you’d have left over to pay alimony.
- Ask the court to order an evaluation of your spouse’s ability to work so that they can’t recover spousal support based on bald, meritless assertions.
- Present evidence showing that your spouse is cohabitating with another individual and is thus receiving financial support elsewhere.
- Attack your spouse’s credibility so that the court is more inclined to find their testimony unreliable, which can put you in a better position when it comes to your alimony argument.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that you’re forced to pay alimony
Your spouse has no guarantee that they’ll receive the spousal support order that they seek. Therefore, it’s in your best interests to build a compelling legal argument to counter their position. With some preparation and aggressiveness, you might be able to secure the outcome you want and that protects your future.