| Alimony: Temporary Support |
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| Temporary alimony is the same as temporary spousal support, and both provide sustenance to the dependent party through the course of a divorce case. During the proceedings, the dependent spouse and the parties' children may require financial support, and courts may grant temporary support for that purpose. Dependant spouses can seek temporary support during legal separation as well. More... |
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| Valuation of Closely Held Businesses in Divorce Proceedings |
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| Generally, divorce cases involving thorny property issues can be complicated to resolve. This especially is true when the marital estate includes a closely-held business. A closely-held business usually presents one of two scenarios in the divorce context. The business may be tied to one spouse who is responsible for the business's success. Distribution of the business to one spouse often creates asset allocation and business valuation issues. It presents the problem of valuing the business and structuring the parties' assets and liabilities in order to provide the other spouse with a comparably valued property distribution. If the business depends on the operating spouse's good will and management, which many closely-held businesses do, then the true value can suffer under the emotional stress common in divorce even if the business is distributed to the key-person spouse. A business having one value when operated by the key-person spouse can have a far different value when distributed to the non-operating spouse. More... |
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| Alimony: Rehabilitative Spousal Support |
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| Alimony awards, also called "spousal support," are usually granted at the court's discretion upon a determination, which takes into account certain factors, that spousal maintenance is necessary. Some of the factors considered when determining alimony payments include the education of the spouses, their respective work experiences, income histories, ages, health, the length of the marriage, and the time either spouse has spent out of the work force. Alimony may be either temporary (often called "rehabilitative alimony") or permanent. The court grants rehabilitative spousal support when one spouse has been disadvantaged in order to equalize the burden of the divorce. More... |
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| Fault-based Divorce: Adultery |
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| There can be various grounds for seeking a divorce; adultery is stated as a reason for divorce in the laws of the majority of states that allow fault-based divorces. Adultery is defined as voluntary, consensual sexual intercourse or sexual activity by a married person with someone other than their legal spouse. While intercourse is usually required, something less may amount to adultery under the divorce laws in some states. More... |
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| Property Division in Divorce: Partition |
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| For purposes of divorce, "partition" is a legal process that divides property, usually real property, into fractional shares for the spouses. Divorce or legal separation establishes grounds for partition in a divorce for jointly-owned marital assets of the spouses. More... |
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