Spousal Support and Alimony

Spousal Support

Whether you need spousal support to augment your finances, or you need to protect yourself against the issuance of an unmanageable spousal support order, our experienced family law attorneys will analyze all the relevant facts and circumstances that may affect a spousal support award, and will protect your rights either through negotiation or before a judge in court.

There are two types of spousal support – “temporary,” or “pendent lite,” support, and “permanent,” or “post-Judgment,” support. The two types of support serve completely different purposes. Temporary support is intended to capture a “snap shot” of the status quo in order to provide stability for both parties at the outset of a divorce action. Temporary support addresses the facts and circumstances of the parties as of the day that the request for support is made. Typically, the court will plug the relevant figures into the computerized support program, and the amount that the program suggests should be paid in temporary support is ordinarily what is ordered. In most cases, temporary support will be paid until such time as the Judgment of Dissolution is entered, though they are ordinarily subject to modification as circumstances change during the dissolution process.

Post Judgment support, however, is based on an analysis of a variety of factors found in the Family Code, and takes a longer view of the marital relationship when deciding on the appropriate amount of support to be paid. Though the term “permanent” is frequently used to describe post Judgment support, spousal support orders are rarely truly permanent. Rather, the court will fashion an order for support in such a way as to diminish over a set amount of time, to terminate upon a date certain, or otherwise reflect the court’s consideration of the various factors the court must weigh when awarding post Judgment support. In a marriage of 10 years or longer, post Judgment support is presumptively permanent, which in the usual case means that the court will not set a definite date for termination, but may simply reserve its right to modify the support award if that becomes appropriate in the future. In marriages of less than 10 years’ duration, the general rule of thumb is that support will be made payable for one-half the duration of the marriage. This is not a hard and fast rule, as the court must balance all of the factors when exercising its discretion in determining the proper amount of support. Unlike temporary support, if the court were to utilize a computerized support program to determine the amount of support rather than weighing the appropriate factors, the court’s order will be overturned by the appellate court as an abuse of discretion.

The factors a court must weigh in determining post Judgment support include the following:

Each spouse’s income
Length of the marriage
Age and health of both spouses
Spouse’s marketable abilities
Standard of living during marriage
Debts and resources of each spouse
If one spouse quit his/ her job to care for children
If one spouse paid for the other to attend school
Earning power and ability to pay spousal support
Disrupting the care of the children
History of domestic violence

Importantly, the court also recognizes that both spouses have an obligation to support themselves eventually, which is the primary reason that most spousal support orders will not be truly permanent. Over time, the supported spouse must make efforts to become self supporting, unless the facts of the specific case indicate that he or she cannot reasonably be expected to do so.

Obtaining the Highest Support Order

Of the above factors, determining what qualifies as “income” is where your family law attorneys’ experience will be critical. The accurate amount of income that goes into the equation is complex, especially when a spouse is a business owner, is self-employed, or has worked for multiple employers. In addition, income from investments (some of which may be hidden or simply forgotten about) must also be entered. We are experienced in all technical aspects of evaluating income available to pay support, including identifying income producing assets or investments yielding a return. In more complex cases where income may not be readily identifiable, spousal support issues often require the help of an experienced forensic accountant to reach an accurate calculation. We work hand in hand with most of the reputable family law forensic accountants in the Northern California region, and can recommend the accountant best suited to your particular needs.

Opposing Unmanageable Spousal Support
The ability to obtain the highest support order also means that we are adept at defending against unmanageable spousal support awards. If you are concerned that a spousal support request does not accurately reflect the economic realities of your financial situation, we can assist you in educating the court with the relevant facts germane to the spousal support decision, and make sure that you get all of the deductions and credits to which you are entitled. Additionally, our attorneys can take steps to ensure that the supported spouse understands early on that he or she will be required to find work if underemployed, and can secure court orders to that effect.

Modifications of Spousal Support Orders

Things change. If your situation has changed and a spousal support order needs to be modified, our family law attorneys are especially adept at Post judgment modifications or enforcement of orders.

Contact Us for a Complimentary Intake Interview* for your California Spousal Support and Alimony Orders by calling our Sacramento office at 916-851-1900 or emailing Family Law attorney, Neil Forester, Certified Family Law Specialist* & Head of Goyette & Associates Family Law Division. *Consultations with Mr. Forester will be billed at his hourly rate

Goyette & Associates is able to provide our Family Law Services to all of California, with a focus on El Dorado County including Placerville and El Dorado Hills , Placer County including Granite Bay, Roseville, Rocklin, Loomis, Auburn and Penryn; Sacramento County including Folsom and Sacramento; Nevada County including Tahoe, Truckee, Nevada City and Grass Valley; San Joaquin and Stanaislaus Counties.

* Certified Family Law Specialist – California Board of Legal Specialization