Divorce is a costly transaction. After all, your marital property is going to be divided, and child support and alimony may both be in play. If you’re court ordered to pay spousal support, then you can feel the crushing financial burden of your obligation for years or even decades to come. Unfortunately, spouses who receive this support often try to cheat the system, too, so that they can continue to recoup payment when they otherwise shouldn’t be able to. This is often the case when the spouse who is receiving support begins cohabitating with someone else.
Proving cohabitation
Under state law, spousal support payments should cease when the receiving spouse begins cohabitating with another individual. But when this cohabitation occurs, it is often done so secretly. So how do you go about proving cohabitation so that your financial obligation stops? Here are some tips:
- Consider hiring an investigator who can conduct surveillance on your ex-spouse, which could lead to the discovery of your ex staying at a new residence for a significant period of time.
- Monitor social media to see if your ex-spouse is spending a lot of time with a new love interest.
- If your spouse is staying at a new residence, try to determine who is paying the bills or if expenses are shared.
- Assess which address your ex-spouse is using on official forms.
- Ask your ex-spouse questions to see if he or she will try to keep information secret from you.
Taking your evidence to court
If you follow these tips and suspect that you have strong evidence of cohabitation, then it might be time to take the matter to court. After all, you may be able to quickly bring spousal support payments to a halt, thereby strengthening your financial position. If you’d like to learn more about building evidence for a showing of cohabitation and thereby the cessation of alimony, then consider reaching out to a legal team that you can trust.