alimony

[edison66]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? ohio..been married 10 years there are 3 STEP KIDS none of my own she worked about 7-8 years ago but has been home now says she can't find work ,(I think don't want to)will I have to pay her alimony ?told her she can have the house and the two cars

 

[mistoffolees]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? ohio..been married 10 years there are 3 STEP KIDS none of my own she worked about 7-8 years ago but has been home now says she can't find work ,(I think don't want to)will I have to pay her alimony ?told her she can have the house and the two cars

Here are the rules:
Ohio Spousal Support (Alimony) FAQ's | divorcenet.com

Actual implementation will depend on all the factors listed there. For example, what is your income? How much was she earning when she worked? Is she able to work now - and for how much? There are no hard and fast rules for alimony in most states.

Seriously, you have a house and 2 cars that you're willing to give up, an ex who isn't working, and a 10 year marriage. You have a lot at stake here - you really need to see a local attorney.

Her step kids are irrelevant. They can not be used to calculate your alimony payment (if any). She should be pursuing child support from the father.

If (hopefully after consultation with an attorney) you decide to give her the home and cars in lieu of alimony, you're going to want to make sure that the decree is properly worded so she can't come back later and ask for more money.

 

[LdiJ]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? ohio..been married 10 years there are 3 STEP KIDS none of my own she worked about 7-8 years ago but has been home now says she can't find work ,(I think don't want to)will I have to pay her alimony ?told her she can have the house and the two cars

According to an OH family law attorney who posts here, in OH you could be looking at one year of alimony for every 2-3 years of marriage.

Does the house still have a mortgage? Is your credit safe if you "give her the house" since obviously she will no be able to refiance it, for possibly several years until she builds a work history?

Same applies to the cars.

 

[edison66]

house and cars paid in full she can have them

 

[mistoffolees]

house and cars paid in full she can have them

Please do yourself a favor - and as I suggested, see an attorney. You're talking about many thousands of dollars in assets that you're willing to turn over, better to spend a few dollars to make sure it's done properly.

And that's not to suggest that giving her the house and cars wouldn't be fair. Without knowing all the details, it's impossible to say what's fair. The problem is that you might THINK you're giving one deal, but end up getting stuck with an entirely different deal.

Let me give you an example. Let's say that you set up the property division so that she gets no alimony and takes the house and cars. But you forget to add a statement that alimony is not modifiable and that the house and cars are being given in lieu of alimony. If you do that, she could come back later and ask for alimony ON TOP OF the house and cars.

Furthermore, I understand that you simply want to walk away at this point. But your lawyer's job is to make sure that you understand all the likely scenarios and to make sure that you know what you're doing. It could be that your proposal really is fair -- or it could be that you're cheating yourself badly. That might not be a problem today, but it could be in 10 or 20 years when it's time to retire.