divorce & alimony

Please help me, I have been in a very abusive marriage for 11 years now. I have been mentally tortured, and made to feel like I was dirt, and worse. My 3 kids have grown up with the worst man, he very rarely had a nice thing to say to them. Anyway,he stopped drinking, but still smokes.And every now and then he gets mad at us for....breathing I suppose. Butwe were on welfare for 10 years, then he got a really good paying job, well for us anyway. And we are in the process of buying this old fixer upper. And now he is telling me too leave and take my f-ing brats and hit the door.
What I want to know is.....Can he be made too pay me for all abuse and torture,domestic violence,and all those years of keeping me and my kids down in the gutter, with all the other low lifes, mainly his family.?? His mom is trying to start him drinking again so he will leave me,and move in with her.I am the one who has put up with this all these years, when he was a dead-beat.

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<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by mkstigger:
[b]Please help me, I have been in a very abusive marriage for 11 years now. I have been mentally tortured, and made to feel like I was dirt, and worse. My 3 kids have grown up with the worst man, he very rarely had a nice thing to say to them. Anyway,he stopped drinking, but still smokes.And every now and then he gets mad at us for....breathing I suppose. Butwe were on welfare for 10 years, then he got a really good paying job, well for us anyway. And we are in the process of buying this old fixer upper. And now he is telling me too leave and take my f-ing brats and hit the door.
What I want to know is.....Can he be made too pay me for all abuse and torture,domestic violence,and all those years of keeping me and my kids down in the gutter, with all the other low lifes, mainly his family.?? His mom is trying to start him drinking again so he will leave me,and move in with her.I am the one who has put up with this all these years, when he was a dead-beat.

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Is there any documented proof of the abuse ? If not, I suggest you grab the kids, and run to a womens shelter who will advise you further.