what type of lawyer do i need to retreive an ex spouses unpaid alinony

by Mr. Cooper Sipes III 7 min read

Your family law attorney will have numerous ways of getting your ex to pay alimony through the California courts. Judges don't take kindly to spouses who blatantly refuse to make court-ordered spousal support payments and have a number of tools to ensure spouses make payments consistently in the future.

What to do if your ex spouse does not pay you back?

Jul 15, 2021 · Other Ways to Collect Unpaid Alimony . The three most common ways are mediation, a lawsuit in small claims court or a higher court, and wage garnishment. In mediation, you need a certified mediator. You may also want your attorney present. Mediation involves both parties sitting down with a mediator and coming to an agreement. Collecting Unpaid Spousal …

Can a lawyer file a motion to remove an ex spouse?

If the harassment continues, there are several options open to you. First, you can make a criminal complaint and request that the prosecutor seek an order of protection in your favor. An order of protection (temporary or otherwise) can limit physical interactions between you and your ex. If your ex-spouse violates the terms of such an order, he ...

How can I get my ex husband to pay my alimony?

If you are owed a large amount of alimony, and your spouse is unwilling to pay, you should contact a family law attorney that can help you file a legal action to enforce alimony--it's not easy to do yourself, and once you do get a judgment from the court, a lawyer can make sure you actually get your money.

How can I collect spousal support from my ex husband?

Dec 21, 2015 · First, people who believe their ex is a vexatious litigant must speak with their attorney. Just because a case has been going on for a long time, or has hundreds of docket entries does not mean that the other person is abusing the legal system. If, however, a spouse’s attorney agrees that the other person is filing motions inappropriately ...

How do I collect spousal support arrears in California?

Usually, the payments are taken directly from your spouse's pay by their employer and sent to you (called an earnings assignment or income withholding). Some people call this a wage garnishment.
...
If you want the order put on hold
  1. Sign an agreement. ...
  2. Your spouse fills out a court form. ...
  3. Make copies and file the form.

What happens if you don't pay alimony in Illinois?

If you don't pay alimony in Illinois, the court can punish you by garnishing wages, jail time, and fines.

What happens if you don't pay alimony in California?

If the payor owes a large sum of money, and the payee files for a judgment against you, the judge may rule that the payor must pay the total amount plus interest. If the court finds the payor in contempt with the order, they may order jail time. The court may place a lien on the payor's property.Nov 30, 2021

How do I enforce alimony payments in Florida?

How can alimony be enforced in Florida? The primary way to enforce alimony in Florida cases is to file a Motion for Contempt in the same case and court where alimony was originally established. You must be prepared to prove the payor of alimony has the ability to pay the ordered amount.Apr 29, 2018

Is spousal support mandatory in Illinois?

Alimony is not mandatory in Illinois. Alimony is only awarded to a party when it makes sense in the specific case and there is a need.

How long is alimony paid in Illinois?

Illinois law states that the length of spousal maintenance payments is calculated by multiplying the length of the marriage in years by a specific factor. However, if the marriage lasted for 20 or more years, the court can decide to award maintenance indefinitely.May 28, 2021

How can I get out of paying alimony in California?

You can sign a formal agreement and file it with your divorce court to modify or terminate alimony. If your ex-spouse disagrees, you should file a motion to modify or terminate alimony with the court that granted your divorce.

How long do you have to be married to get half of everything in California?

Under California Law, the general presumption for duration of support is “one-half the length of the marriage,” for marriages of fewer than 10 years. This means that if you were married for six years, the judge has the right to limit alimony for one-half of the marriage if the need exists (three years).Apr 12, 2018

How long does alimony last in CA?

In California, spousal support may be paid for up to half the length of a marriage that lasts 10 years or less. Unions that lasted longer than 10 years are considered 'long term,' and no specific duration will apply.Nov 19, 2021

Can permanent alimony be modified in Florida?

Florida permanent alimony can be modified or terminated if there is an unanticipated, substantial, material, and involuntary change in the circumstances of either party, that was not contemplated for at the time the alimony was awarded.Sep 23, 2020

Can you go to jail for not paying alimony in Florida?

If you do not pay your alimony obligations, your ex-spouse may take steps to enforce the Court order that tells you that you must pay alimony. Some of the consequences include the following: Wage garnishment. Being considered in contempt of Court, which can result in fines or jail time.Jul 1, 2020

Does Florida have permanent alimony?

“In Florida, a spouse in a long-term marriage, more than seventeen years, can be ordered to pay permanent lifetime alimony. This lasts until one of the parties dies or until the recipient remarries.Aug 27, 2021

Enforcing Alimony Orders: How To Get Your Ex to Pay You

This article is a guide to enforcing alimony orders with and without legal assistance. If your former spouse has been ordered by the court to pay spousal support to you and has not or stopped making payments, you’re probably asking yourself, what else can you do?

Enforcing Alimony With A Mutual Agreement Out of Court

Let’s say your ex had a recent financial burden or lost their job and cannot continue making alimony payments as the court ordered. If your ex is truly unable to make these payments due to a serious event, you can work out an agreement together that will temporarily minimize how much is owed until they are able to resume the ordered monthly amount.

What Happens If You Go To Court?

In court, unpaid alimony can be punishable in a variety of ways. A judge has a lot of discretion in this instance and can order seizure of assets, real estate profits or personal estate to cover the unpaid spousal support as well as any court fees.

Income Withholding Order

In this instance, a judge can order a portion of your former spouse’s be withheld by their employer and sent directly to you. In the state of Florida, under statute 61.1301 an income withholding order can be entered if there is an existing alimony order.

Writ of Execution

A writ of execution is an order allowing the enforcement of alimony payment through seizure of property, bank accounts, property and or any other assets to be awarded to you.

Contempt of Court

If it is determined your former spouse is intentionally disobeying a court order to pay alimony, a judge can order them to be held in contempt of court. This means they will be ordered to pay the full amount they owe, in addition to court fees. If they fail to follow through again, jail time is possible or likely.

Judgement and Interest

In the event your unpaid spousal support is a hefty sum, you can have the court issue a money judgement against your former spouse. This will include the total amount in addition to interest. There’s also a chance to have your own attorney and court fees covered related to this order.

What is Harassment?

Harassment can come in many forms, from verbal abuse to physical violence to stalking. Some of these acts are clearly illegal, while others might be illegal, such as verbal threats.

Is the Harassment Abusive?

Again, in cases of physical abuse, you should contact the police and your attorney. They will be able to inform the appropriate agencies, such as child protective services, to help you remove children from a dangerous environment.

What Can You Do In Cases of Legal, Non-Abusive Harassment?

For minor incidents, you might try talking to your ex. There’s a possibility that he might not be considering the true effects of his actions. Once informed, he might change his ways.

Should You Retaliate?

It’s only natural. If your spouse or ex-spouse if bad-mouths you to the children, then you may want to retaliate and bad-mouth him in return. If he is spreading rumors, you might want to do the same. Resist these urges. Retaliation is unlikely to stop the harassment on his end; rather, it will probably lead to greater harassment.

What to do if your spouse is unemployed?

If your spouse is willfully unemployed, you can ask a judge to order your spouse to look for work and/or impute (attribute) some income to your spouse based on his or her earning capacity (what a person could earn based on education, job skills, work history, and job opportunities).

What happens if my spouse doesn't pay alimony?

When paying spouses fail to pay court-ordered alimony, they are violating (disobeying) court orders, and judges don't like it when folks don't follow their orders. Courts have a lot of discretion in terms of what sorts of punishments or fines they can impose on delinquent spouses.

What happens if you don't pay alimony in New Jersey?

So, if you live in New Jersey and your spouse has failed to pay alimony, a court might hold your spouse in contempt. If the judge finds your ex in contempt, the first punishment will most likely be an order to pay the overdue support and possibly an additional fine. After that, if your spouse continues to disobey the order, the judge may order jail time for the continued disobedience.

What is an income withholding order?

Many alimony orders start out with an income withholding order, which requires the payor spouse's employer to withhold the alimony amount from the payor spouse's paycheck and send it directly to the supported spouse.

Can a spouse not pay alimony?

Unfortunately, many spouses are unwilling to pay necessary alimony to their spouse, even when the payment is court mandated. This unwillingness can cause considerable financial burden for the spouse receiving alimony.

Is alimony required in divorce?

Divorces are inherently difficult proceedings, especially when it comes to money. In many divorce cases, one spouse is required to pay alimony to the other spouse who makes less money so the spouse can maintain their quality of life. Unfortunately, many spouses are unwilling to pay necessary alimony to their spouse, ...

What is an attorney's fee award?

an attorney's fee award— where your spouse pays for the attorney’s fees you incurred in bringing the motion. evidentiary sanctions—where the court prevents your spouse from introducing certain evidence at trial, and. jail time—ordering that your spouse spend a certain amount of time in jail.

What is a request for production of documents?

Whether you live in a mandatory disclosure state or not, you can send your spouse a formal request for information, typically called a “Request for Production of Documents.”. You can also send questions for your spouse to answer under oath, called “Interrogatories.”.

Do ex husbands honor divorce settlements?

The sad truth of the matter, borne out by U.S. Census data, is that the majority of ex-husbands simply don’t honor the financial terms of their divorce settlements. Moreover, it can be exceedingly difficult to get your non-paying ex to make good on his obligation for spousal support.

Can support arrearages be paid through retirement?

Support arrearages can be ordered to be paid through the non-paying ex’s retirement plan. But, meticulous review by a qualified attorney is essential before drafting a QDRO for recovering past-due support payments.

What is QDRO in retirement?

A QDRO can help with recovering delinquent support payments. Support arrearages can be ordered to be paid through the non-paying ex’s retirement plan. But, meticulous review by a qualified attorney is essential before drafting a QDRO for recovering past-due support payments.

Is a blog post legal advice?

All articles/blog posts are for informational purposes only, and do not constitute legal advice. If you require legal advice, retain a lawyer licensed in your jurisdiction. The opinions expressed are solely those of the author, who is not an attorney.

What is a QDRO?

A Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO) is a judgment, decree or order that creates or recognizes the existence of an alternate payee's right to receive, or assigns to an alternate payee the right to receive, all or a portion of the benefits payable to a participant in a retirement plan.

What happens when you divorce your ex?

During a divorce or a legal separation, one of the biggest negotiated issues is the division of the property. While many couples will work together in order to divide their personal belongings, in certain cases, one ex will refuse to let the other take their personal property. In some instances, an angry ex might act out their anger by withholding ...

How long do you have to move out of a house?

In many cases, you are supposed to be given a minimum of 30 days in order to remove the rest of your personal property from the residence. If you were married, it is important to understand the differences between personal ...

What to do if your ex isn't paying child support?

If your ex isn’t complying with court-ordered child support or spousal support you will need to hire a divorce attorney to file a petition for contempt. Once this is done a judge can “compel” your ex to pay by garnishing their wages or sending them to jail until they agree to make regular payments.

What to do if your ex refuses child support?

Just as with child support or spousal support, if your ex is refusing or interfering with visitation with your children you will need to hire a divorce attorney and file a petition for contempt of the divorce settlement agreement.

Who is Cathy from DivorcedMoms?

Cathy is a Master Certified Relationship Coach and Certified Marriage Educator. She is also the Founding and Managing Editor of DivorcedMoms.com – the leading resource and community for divorced moms to connect, communicate, express their passion and thoughts, share experiences, and find expert information and advice.