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What Will Happen If I Stopped Paying Alimony?
If you are ordered by a judge to pay alimony after divorcing your spouse, you are legally responsible to complete this financial duty. There are both financial and legal consequences if you fail to make payments. If you are curious to learn what could happen if payments are not made, please read below for more information.
Do Not Stop Paying
Being required to pay alimony to a spouse you are no longer married to may seem like an unjust punishment, and it may sound like a good idea to stop making payments. However, once you stop making payments, you are disobeying the court’s authority and may be held in contempt.
- Your ex-spouse has the legal authority to file a complaint against you, and the court will hold you in contempt
- As a consequence, you can potentially be handed fines, jail time, and penalties that may cause you to pay even more money that you were initially required to pay
- There are some states that give judges the authority to take your license away if you purposely fail to pay alimony
The results of refusing to pay alimony is not just halting payments to your ex-spouse, you are breaking the law when you violate the court orders from a judge.
Your Legal Rights
Financial hardships can come up, therefore you may be granted leniency and options in some cases. This can include unemployment, injury, and other things that may come up. In these cases, you do have options.
- A family or divorce lawyer can work with the court to reduce alimony payments for both short and/or long term
- A lawyer can appeal to the court and ask for a temporary suspension of alimony payments if you lost your job or have medical fees from injuries that need special care
- A lawyer can request the court to reexamine the case, possibly resulting in allowing you to pay less alimony
There are options available if you are unable to make alimony payments to your ex-spouse if you cannot afford it. Simply not paying is not an option and can result in serious legal consequences. Our attorneys are here to help and find the best fit solution for you and your needs.
Call today and discuss your situation with our professional and qualified attorneys such as the family lawyer locals have been trusting for years. Navigating through the legal process may seem scary, but we have successfully helped many clients in various alimony payment situations and we are here to serve you.
