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Is Your Ex-Spouse Trying to Terminate Support?

• April 27, 2021
• Cloud, Ryan & Rouse, LLC
• LEAVE A COMMENT

Alimony is an important type of financial support for many people following a divorce. If your ex-spouse is attempting to terminate alimony early, you should seek help from a Huntsville family lawyer as soon as possible. 

Many ex-spouses rely on the financial support of their ex in the form of alimony. Also known as spousal support or spousal maintenance, this type of assistance isn’t typically meant to last forever. The court can and often does place a time limit on it. Additionally, there are actions the receiving spouse might take that can decrease or stop their alimony payments. 

If your ex-spouse is trying to terminate the support the court has ordered that they pay you, it can be quite disconcerting and worrisome. You might not know if they have the right or the grounds to do this or what you will do if they are successful. Before you start worrying about the what-ifs, reach out to an experienced Huntsville alimony lawyer to learn more about your rights. 

Reasons Why Spousal Support Might Be Terminated

The first thing your Huntsville family attorney can do is help you determine and understand if there are any valid reasons why the court might grant your ex-spouse’s request. Valid reasons for the court to terminate alimony include:

• The spouse receiving support is cohabiting with someone else
• The spouse receiving the payments dies
• The spouse receiving support remarries
• The income or earnings of the receiving spouse has increased, and they are now self-sufficient
• The recipient hasn’t made good faith efforts to become self-sufficient
• The paying spouse will face economic hardship if they continue to make the payments
• The paying spouse retires—the court looks at various factors such as if retirement will change their income level, how long support has been made, and the overall health and age of each spouse when deciding to terminate alimony due to retirement 

If your ex has a valid reason to request that the court terminate the order for support, it can be difficult to refute. However, if your ex believes one of these reasons to be true, such as you are cohabitating or have the financial means to be self-sufficient now, but it isn’t true, a Huntsville family lawyer can help you.

What if My Ex-Spouse Doesn’t Have a Valid Reason?

Suppose your ex-spouse doesn’t have a court-recognized reason to terminate support. In that case, an experienced Huntsville family attorney from our firm can help you refute their arguments and stand up for you in court. It’s highly unlikely that they will succeed in getting their alimony obligations erased without a justifiable reason.

Do You Have Spousal Support Questions? Reach Out to a Huntsville Family Lawyer Today

Whether you are the spouse receiving alimony or paying it, you want to ensure that your arrangements follow the court’s orders. The spouse wanting to stop paying support needs to show a valid reason as to why. The receiving spouse may need to be ready to show that the other ex-spouse isn’t correct in their reasoning. 

We can help with these difficult and legally complex situations. Schedule your consultation with a Huntsville family attorney at Cloud, Ryan & Rouse. Call 256-801-1000 or use our online contact form.