Most people believe that their marriages will last forever, but for many Californians this is simply not the case. Divorce is a prevalent practice for those individuals who believe that their lives will improve if they sever their legal ties to their marital partners. While divorce can provide some with a new beginning in their lives, for others divorce brings about the end of a marriage but not the end of a person’s connection to a former spouse.
Alimony or spousal support can connect two formerly married people for a significant amount of time. Alimony is the payment of money from one party to a divorce to another and may be imposed out of an agreement or through a judicial order. Many factors can contribute to how long a person must pay alimony to his or her ex-partner, but there are several events that can terminate a party’s obligation to pay alimony to a former spouse.
One of the most common ways that an alimony obligation is terminated is through the remarriage of the alimony-receiving partner. When a person marries, in the eyes of the law he is no longer dependent solely on himself for generating the financial support that he needs to live his life. Alimony is often awarded with the understanding that a spouse will likely suffer financial hardships as a result of exiting a marriage. However, when that individual remarries, he is no longer on his own for support and therefore loses his right to collect support payments from his former marital partner.
Divorce attorneys can provide their clients with case-specific help and answers to their clients’ questions about alimony and spousal support. Alimony can be a long-term obligation between formerly married people, but remarriage is one way that that obligation can end. Readers of this blog are encouraged to seek their own counsel on alimony-related issues as this post is offered only for general informational purposes.
