By Nicholas LaFountain
Partner
Partner
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Yesterday, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick signed into law the state’s most sweeping alimony reform in decades. The new law is designed to erase what many attorneys, judges and divorcing parties believed to be an outdated and often times inconsistent formula for determining alimony awards. Most notably, the law significantly limits “lifetime” alimony payments by providing caps on the number of years a spouse can receive alimony based on the length of the marriage. Also, the legislation allows judges more flexibility to make alimony awards based on the specific facts and circumstances of a particular divorce proceeding. Finally, subject to certain limitations, the law broadens the category of circumstances a judge may consider to reduce or terminate an existing alimony order. (Source: Boston.com – 9/26/2011 http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/09/26/mass_gov_signs_sweeping_overhaul_of_alimony_laws/) If you have any questions regarding the new alimony law, please contact a qualified family law attorney at LaFountain & Wollman, P.C. (617) 926-8944 or info@lafountainwollman.com. |