Miami family law attorney blog
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Alimony
Posted by Nydia Streets of Streets Law in Florida Alimony
When permanent alimony is awarded in a Florida divorce, it will usually be upheld if the court examined all required factors in arriving at the determination that such spousal support was warranted. In the case Schroll v. Schroll, 1D18-4716 (Fla. 1st DCA November 13, 2019), the former husband appealed the trial court’s award of $5,000 per month permanent alimony to the former wife.
Posted by Nydia Streets of Streets Law in Florida Alimony
When a party fails to pay court-ordered Florida alimony, he or she may be held in contempt of court. Before the court can hold a party in contempt, however, there must be an evidentiary hearing with a showing of certain factors. These factors are explored in the case Perez v. Borga, 4D18-3400 (Fla. 4th DCA October 23, 2019).
Posted by Nydia Streets of Streets Law in Florida Alimony
When a party agrees to pay a certain amount of Florida alimony or child support, and the party subsequently wants to modify the payments to reduce them, is there a heavier burden of proof than when the amount established for support is by court order? This issue arose in the case Knowlton v. Knowlton, 1D18-5131 (Fla. 1st DCA October 1, 2019) in which the former husband appealed an order denying his petition to modify previously agreed-upon spousal support and child support payments.
Posted by Nydia Streets of Streets Law in Florida Alimony
When alimony is awarded in Florida, a court must consider several factors to determine the amount and length of the award. The court may also order that the party who pays alimony must secure a life insurance policy to protect the award. In the case Cooper v. Cooper, 2D18-3616 (Fla. 2d DCA August 2, 2019), the former husband appealed an order that obligated him to pay alimony and to obtain life insurance.
Posted by Nydia Streets of Streets Law in Florida Alimony
When alimony is awarded in Florida, a court may also require that the party paying the alimony obtain a life insurance policy that names the ex-spouse as a beneficiary. This is an attempt to protect the receiving spouse’s alimony payments. Before a court can order the maintenance of such a policy, findings must be made as to special circumstances that support the requirement, and as to the availability and cost of the insurance along with the payor’s ability to pay. In the case Manko v. Manko, 5D18-1445 (Fla. 5th DCA May 10, 2019), the former husband appealed the trial court’s decision to deny his motion to reconsider the life insurance requirement.
Posted by Nydia Streets of Streets Law in Florida Alimony
What is nominal alimony in Florida and when is it appropriate to award it? This issue arose in the case Shaw v. Shaw, 2D18-331 (Fla. 2d DCA May 31, 2019) in which the former wife, a veterinarian, appealed the trial court’s decision to deny her permanent nominal alimony in her Florida divorce.
Posted by Nydia Streets of Streets Law in Florida Alimony
When a court determines a party is underemployed or voluntarily unemployed for purposes of calculating Florida alimony, can it postpone imputation of income until the party is in a position to obtain employment? This issue arose in the case Horowitz v. Horowitz, 2D18-2074 (Fla. 2d DCA May 29, 2019).
Posted by Nydia Streets of Streets Law in Florida Alimony
In long-term marriages in Florida, there is a rebuttable presumption that permanent alimony is appropriate. This presumption can be overcome if it is shown that a party would be capable of eventually earning income that would support the lifestyle established during the marriage. A long-term marriage in Florida is one existing for 17 or more years. In the case Molina v. Perez, 3D17-1642 (Fla. 3d DCA June 19, 2019), we examine a matter in which the trial court denied permanent alimony in a long-term marriage.
Posted by Nydia Streets of Streets Law in Florida Alimony
When a party is unhappy with a Florida divorce court’s ruling, what is the next step? The party may be able to appeal the final judgment, but must be sure to comply with deadlines and procedural requirements. One requirement that is often cited in Florida family law cases is the duty to file a motion for rehearing with the trial court before proceeding with an appeal. The case Engle v. Engle, 2D17-620 (Fla. 2d DCA July 3, 2019) highlights the confusion that this requirement causes among different courts in Florida.
Posted by Nydia Streets of Streets Law in Florida Alimony
A Florida family law court’s decision to decrease a former wife’s monthly alimony payments by 85% led her to appeal the decision in Dunn v. Dunn, 5D18-111 (Fla. 5th DCA July 12, 2019). After considering the former wife’s expenditures and inheritance she was set to receive, the trial court believed it was equitable to reduce the payments from $12,000.00 per month to $1,819.19.
Posted by Nydia Streets of Streets Law in Florida Alimony
A party who can no longer comply with an order to pay alimony in Florida may file a petition for modification or termination of alimony. In filing a petition, a party re-initiates a lawsuit and the steps to initiate a lawsuit must be followed in order to comply with due process requirements in Florida family law cases. The other party must be served with the petition by a process server. Once served, the other party usually has 20 days to respond to the petition or a default judgment may be entered against the party.
Posted by Nydia Streets of Streets Law in Florida Alimony
When one spouse earns significantly more income than the other spouse, this does not mean that alimony is automatic in Florida. In order to determine if alimony is appropriate in a Florida divorce and what type should be awarded, the court must perform a “need and ability to pay” analysis. Determination of alimony is made on a case-by-case basis with a basic foundation of what needs to be analyzed to arrive at an equitable amount.
Posted by Nydia Streets of Streets Law in Florida Alimony
When parties enter a marital settlement agreement or a final judgment is entered in a Florida divorce, the court will enforce the express terms of the agreement or order. So it is important that terms in the agreement or order are unambiguous and not open to different interpretations. Otherwise, the parties could find themselves embroiled in expensive and lengthy post-judgment litigation.
Posted by Nydia Streets of Streets Law in Florida Alimony
A former spouse who agreed to pay over $20,000.00 per month in permanent, non-modifiable alimony was found in contempt for his failure to pay this amount for about 9 years straight. He appealed in the case Accardi v. Accardi, 4D18-1669 (Fla. 4th DCA June 12, 2019).
Posted by Nydia Streets of Streets Law in Florida Alimony
When a party who is ordered to pay alimony retires, he or she may be able to seek a modification or termination of the alimony obligation. This issue was discussed in the case Holder v. Lopez, 1D18-1870 (Fla. 1st DCA June 7, 2019) in which the trial court denied the former husband’s petition to terminate alimony after he retired at age 65.
Posted by Nydia Streets of Streets Law in Florida Alimony
A party who wants alimony without having to file a petition for divorce can seek it under Florida Statute Chp. 61.09. This is referred to as a Petition for Support Unconnected with Dissolution of Marriage. The recent family law case Levy v. Levy, 4D18-3535 (Fla. 4th DCA April 17, 2019) involves this type of petition.
Posted by Nydia Streets of Streets Law in Florida Alimony
When a party falls behind on Florida support payments, he or she may be held in contempt of court. When this happens, usually the party is ordered to become current on support payments within a certain amount of time. Additionally, an amended income withholding order may be entered which allows for extra amounts to be taken from the obligor’s paycheck to satisfy any arrearage and/or attorneys’ fees amounts. This is what happened in the recent Florida family law case Moore v. Holton, 2D18-2672 (Fla. 2d DCA April 12, 2019).
Posted by Nydia Streets of Streets Law in Florida Alimony
What is enough to overcome a presumption for permanent alimony in a long-term marriage? An analysis of the factors listed in Florida Statute Chp. 61.08 is what the court must consider in determining how much alimony to award and for how long. In the case Gilliand v. Gilliand, 5D17-4100 (Fla. 5th DCA, March 15, 2019), the former wife appealed the trial court’s decision to award her durational alimony rather than permanent alimony based primarily on her age, good health and work history.
Posted by Nydia Streets of Streets Law in Florida Alimony
Imputing income to a party for purposes of calculating support is a process which requires specific proof and findings. In the case Frerking v. Stacy, 5D18-2327 (Fla. 5th DCA March 15, 2019), we review a trial court’s decision to award durational, rather than permanent, alimony in a long-term marriage based in part on speculated employment opportunities for the former wife.
Posted by Nydia Streets of Streets Law in Florida Alimony
Imputation of income to a spouse for purposes of determining a Florida alimony and/or child support claim must be supported by competent, substantial evidence. This is illustrated in the recent appellate case Alvarez-Reyes v. Fernandez-Gil, 3D17-2676 (Fla. 3d DCA February 6, 2019).
