Massachusetts Alimony Modification Attorney
Mavrides Law has been representing clients in matters involving post-divorce modifications for more than 25 years. If you need help modifying an alimony award or opposing the modification of an alimony award, we can provide the experienced representation you require.
Grounds for Modifying Alimony (spousal support)
Commencing March 1, 2012, the Alimony Reform Act of 2011 will go into effect. If your alimony order predates March 1, 2011, then you may be entitled to modify your alimony order. If the number of months you have paid alimony exceeds the durational requirements outlined under the Alimony Reform Act of 2011, then you are entitled to seek a modification of alimony. However, the statute has a specific time line for the allowance of modifications:
- Payors who were married to the alimony recipient 5 years or less may file a modification action on or after March 1, 2013;
- Payors who were married to the alimony recipient 10 years or less, but more than 5 years, may file a medication action on or after March 1, 2014;
- Payors who were married to the alimony recipient 15 years or less, but more than 10 years may file a modification action on or after March 1, 2015;
- Payors who were married to the alimony recipient 20 years or less, but more than 15 years, may file a modification action on or after September 1, 2015.
- A Payor who is eligible for the full old-age benefit under the United States Old Age, Disability and Survivor Insurance Act or who become eligible for said benefit on or before March 1, 2015 may file a modification action on or after March 1, 2013.
The duration of your marriage is determined by the number of months from the date of your legal marriage to the date of service of the divorce/separate support complaint in your case; not the date of your divorce. This is especially important because the number of months/years it took for you to get divorced are not calculated in the determination of alimony duration.
This legislation also allows the judge to consider the co-habitation of the alimony recipient with a person for a continuous period of at least 3 months. Another important point of this legislation is that the income and assets of a payor's spouse shall not be considered in the determination of alimony in a modification action.
Let an experienced family law attorney at Mavrides Law advise you of your rights and help you determine if you have a basis for a spousal support modification.
We may be able to negotiate an effective resolution to your alimony dispute without the necessity of a hearing. If an agreement cannot be reached, you can be confident that you are in the hands of an experienced family law attorney.
Contact Mavrides Law
To speak with a lawyer about an alimony modification, contact Mavrides Law in Quincy or Boston, Massachusetts. To schedule an initial consultation, call 888-388-6579 or contact the firm by e-mail.
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