It is not a common thing for people to marry more than twice in their lifetimes. The joke is that the first marriage was your practice marriage, the one in which you make the most mistakes and supposedly learn from before getting a divorce and remarrying. However, some people marry and divorce more than twice, and it becomes so costly for them you wonder why they keep doing it.
If you have more than two ex-spouses, you probably have to pay a lot of support as well. Since that idea makes going to work a very painful idea, here is how a divorce lawyer can help:
Alimony or No Alimony
Some states, like Wisconsin, do not require that you pay alimony to any former spouse with whom you did not share a life and residence for at least ten years. Your divorce attorney will let you know if you reside in a state with this particular statute.
That said, any of your former spouses who try to sue for alimony and with whom you spent less than a decade will not get satisfaction on their case. You do not have to pay them a dime in alimony, unless of course, you were unfaithful and got caught, which is another exception to the alimony rules. Infidelity is almost always a guarantee for alimony to the person who was faithful to the marriage.
Palimony
Although this was never truly a legal term or a legal defense to get money from one's ex-spouse, it has become a common pursuit in divorce cases and annulment cases where the marriage was either never consummated or lasted less than two years.
Since most relationships rarely last longer than two years without ending in marriage or two people breaking up and going their separate ways, palimony allows you to divide your shared possessions equally and ignore any claims on alimony. Any marriage you had that lasted so short a time means that ongoing alimony payments are off the table (again, barring infidelity on your part).
Reductions in Payments (Thanks to Your Divorce Lawyers)
After your lawyer has assessed all of your divorces and the factors that brought your multiple marriages to an end, your divorce attorney can argue that the marriages were not long enough to warrant alimony or palimony. He or she can argue that the amounts be dropped or reduced, given the years you spent with each spouse. Additionally, your lawyer can show that you pay enough in child support to some or all of your ex-spouses that alimony should not be necessary.
To learn more, contact a company like Allen & Rector with any questions or concerns you have.
