In North Carolina, there are various methods for an alimony order to terminate. One such way is by cohabitation by the dependent spouse (the spouse receiving alimony). But what exactly is cohabitation, and how does it impact an alimony order? Continue reading →
Devine v. Devine, (No. COA19-913) (unpublished)
Here in Greensboro, business owners are not immune to unhappy marriages. Divorces can be long and complicated messes, especially when the fortunes of the family rest upon the fortunes of the business. Child support and alimony are based partly on the income and expenses of the parties going through divorce. In the case below, we discuss how one court, which presumably lacked business experience, incorrectly calculated a party’s income. Continue reading →
Finn v. Finn, COA 19-520 (Unpublished opinion)
Alimony can be a complex element in divorce. How much is fair and reasonable, how it is categorized for tax purposes, or even whether it is owed at all are matters often left to the discretion of judges. Here in the Piedmont area of North Carolina, we had a case that required some back-and-forth among the judges to get it right.
Facts: This is a previously remanded case from the North Carolina Court of Appeals instructing the trial court to make additional findings for alimony and attorney fees.
Henry v. Comm’r, T.C. Memo. 201924, 2019 WL 1385242 (2019)
(a) Facts: Husband and wife married in 1997 and divorced in 2013. While the divorce case was pending, the parties filed a joint income tax return for tax year 2012. The return did not report $14,650 in income earned by the husband from his second job as a church musician.
The IRS assessed a deficiency, which neither party contested. The IRS then seized funds from the wife’s 2014 tax return to satisfy the deficiency. The wife moved for innocent spouse relief. The IRS granted relief but denied the wife a refund. The wife sought review in the Tax Court.
(a) Facts: The parties divorced in Florida in 2011. While the divorce was pending, the husband was in the process of liquidating his business, Vicis Capital, LLC. He received, while the action was pending, $4.7 million in distributions.
(a) Facts: When the parties were divorced, the husband agreed to pay the wife $2,400 per month in alimony. Twenty-four years later, the husband filed an action against the wife in federal court for breach of contract, arguing that he had overpaid alimony and that the wife was required to return the overpayment. The action was dismissed quickly as time-barred.
(a) Facts: The parties were divorced by an Arkansas court, and the divorce decree divided the parties’ debt. Within a few days after the decree was entered the judge sent the parties a letter, which stated:
I have received spousal alimony since a 2003 court order until death. I would like to get an increase because of the economy. My ex-spouse receives three times my social security and retirement. His home is paid for and he owes three motor vehicles. His social security and retirement from a big local company is great. I received zero from this after 38 years of marriage. He was in Management. What are my chances of getting an increase?
I work and make a good income. During our marriage, my wife worked for a while, but stopped when we had children. She has and maintains a CPA license. We have a 15-year-old with some discipline problems and ADHD. We are divorcing, and I think she should go back to work. She wants alimony. Who is right? Does she need to work, or can she just continue to be a leech?
– Anti-Leech
Dear Carolyn,
My ex is receiving alimony, which I obviously do not want to pay. She has a son, by another marriage, who is a heroin addict. My ex-wife began dating shortly after our divorce, and she seems quite entrenched with this guy. He stays over at my ex’s on some weekends, but he does still have his own apartment. I know he has a key to my ex’s house, and I know he stayed there four weeks when the heroin addict was in rehabilitation. My court order for alimony says that the alimony terminates upon cohabitation or remarriage. Will the court terminate my alimony? Is my ex cohabiting?
– Sorry to be paying alimony
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