Family courts are rife with abuses and injustices in awarding alimony/spousal support and in dividing divorcing couples” assets. Fathers and Families helped pass an alimony reform bill in 2010, and we plan to introduce a series of alimony and asset protection bills in several states in 2011.
These include:
• Protecting high income earners who also own businesses from alimony “double dipping’ and “triple dipping.’ Currently spouses often receive a sizable monthly income from the profits of a business, are awarded half the business in a divorce, and also get spousal support based on the obligor”s earnings from the business. Our legislation will curb these practices and ensure fairness for business owners.
• Limiting court-required payout of assets in marriages of less than 10 years in which one person provides the lion”s share of the couple”s wealth
• Setting caps on how much alimony courts can order obligors to pay and for how long
• Expanding the provisions of our successful SB 1482, which allows some alimony obligors to obtain court orders requiring vocational examinations for their exes. SB 1482 also mandates that judges follow the exams” findings when determining spousal support levels.
• Requiring that the party receiving alimony must make every attempt to improve their own earning potential through education and other opportunities