DadsDivorce.com provides essential information and resources about divorce, alimony, child support and child custody to men and fathers at any stage of divorce.

The Wall Street Journal recently published an article by Jennifer Levitz titled: The New Art Of Alimony.  The article gives some very scary situations in which, years after a divorce is finalized, one partner comes back seeking maintenance or alimony simply because they have fallen on hard times. In some of these cases the ex-partner who is ordered to pay is now unable to retire or their new spouse must find work in order to pay the ex. 

We spoke to Frank Murphy, J.D. of Cordell & Cordell, P.C., to find out about alimony and maintenance as seen in the state of Missouri where he practices.

Question:

What is the rule for alimony when your ex-spouse's boyfriend moves in? I've talked to a lot of guys about this and there seems to be confusion about the addition of a new live-in boyfriend. Does his income ever make any difference in the amount of maintenance and child support that I'm paying? Does the time that he has lived in the house make a difference? Do I still get right of first refusal when my wife wants to leave the kids with him?

Question:

My wife has filed for divorce and is asking for $4000 a month in alimony. She filed without the use of a lawyer. The amount she is asking for is half of what I make in a month. I am a self employed contractor.

She has five kids from two previous marriages and we have had none together. We have been married for almost five years and pretty much supported them all by my paychecks. She has three businesses that she has started since we moved to California in 2005. She is a realtor, owns a small cosmetics company, and recently started a catering company. What should I be expecting to pay in alimony?