Are you currently paying alimony to your former spouse? If so, you may feel overwhelmed by the financial burden of providing your former spouse with financial assistance. However, it can be even more stressful if you suspect your former spouse is living with a new partner. It’s crucial to understand that one of the primary ways alimony will terminate is if the party receiving alimony payments cohabitates with another person. Cohabitation is essentially an arrangement in which two people who are not married live together, and there is a level of financial dependency upon one another. When you believe your ex is living with someone else, you may seek to terminate your alimony agreement. As a lawyer, you may need to conduct a cohabitation investigation for a client. If this is the case, you should turn to our seasoned Cohabitation Investigation Services for Lawyers in Connecticut, which can help you confirm suspicions and protect your client’s rights.
What is Alimony?
Firstly, it’s imperative to understand that divorce involves the redistribution of wealth and resources from one spouse to the other. One way this is done is when a former spouse cannot meet their needs without financial assistance from a spouse who can afford to pay it through alimony or spousal support. Alimony agreements are binding court-ordered payments. Failure to pay alimony can result in serious legal consequences. Sometimes, alimony payments will be structured to last for a set period. That said, alimony can be expensive, especially when two spouses share custody of children and are responsible for childcare costs.
How Can a Cohabitation Investigation Help Reduce or Stop Alimony?
If a former spouse can prove that their ex is living with someone or even dating someone with their residence but financially depends on that partner, this mitigating factor could reduce or eliminate the alimony they are currently receiving. Attorneys in cases where an individual is paying alimony to a former spouse who is cohabitating with a new partner should consider cohabitation investigations.
A cohabitation investigation is intended to uncover whether a former spouse receiving court-ordered alimony payments is cohabiting with a new party, thereby terminating any requirement for the investigating party to make future payments. Investigators can gather evidence of your former spouse’s cohabitation status through surveillance, tracking, monitoring social media accounts, examining public records, looking into financial habits, and other investigative means. Without evidence, the alimony-paying spouse will be required to continue paying alimony while their former spouse unfairly benefits.
If you’re an attorney who needs help proving cohabitation, please don’t hesitate to contact the talented investigators at Advanced Investigations, who can help you establish any suspicions for the benefit of your client.
