In many cases, alimony is set up to discontinue if your ex gets married again. The idea here is that your ex needs your financial support while single, but getting married gives him or her a new spouse to offer that support.
One issue here is that people will sometimes start living with a new partner without getting married, specifically so that they can keep getting alimony. They will act like a married couple in almost all ways — living in the same house, sharing the bills, pooling their income, etc — but they will not legally get married.
In some cases, a person doing this may even lie and attempt to hide the arrangement to keep you from ending the alimony payments. If you think that is what is going on, here are a few key questions to ask:
- Does your ex leave things at the significant other’s home, such as clothes or a toothbrush?
- If kids live in the home, does the couple tell them not to say that your significant other lives there?
- At the same time, do they spend more than three nights in a row in the same home?
- Do they split up simple chores around the house, such as mowing the lawn or doing the dishes?
- Do they try to hide their vehicles, perhaps parking them at a neighbor’s house or far down the street?
These are all potential red flags that the couple is living together and not acknowledging it to keep getting alimony. It is very important for you to know all of the legal options that you have.
