Are you receiving or paying out alimony or spousal assist? Are you or your ex-partner or ex-wife “residing with” a boyfriend or girlfriend? Then termination of spousal assist or alimony due to cohabitation might be an problem for you.

A lot of judgments of divorce that incorporate payment of alimony or spousal assist include language that the alimony or spousal aid will terminate if the payee (the ex-husband or wife obtaining assistance) cohabits with another particular person of the reverse sexual intercourse.

If your judgment of divorce contains this phrase, cohabit or cohabitation, and it does not define what that expression actually means, then, in the State of Michigan, a divorce court will glimpse at the next 3 factors to establish whether or not or not you may perhaps be equipped to terminate your alimony obligation or get rid of your correct to the spousal aid awarded to you:

  1. The court will consider the living preparations of the pair and the extent to which they share a widespread home.  The divorce court will target on aspects this sort of as no matter if equally preserve personalized items these types of as apparel and toiletries at the residence and how extensive they have been doing so.
  2. The court will think about the couple’s personalized connection and regardless of whether it seems relatively lasting.  The divorce court will search at this sort of things as no matter if the couple engages in sexual relations, holiday or spend holidays alongside one another, are monogamous and no matter whether or not marriage has been contemplated.
  3. The court will contemplate the couple’s economic arrangements.  The divorce courtroom will glance at these things as whether or not the couple share charges or regardless of whether 1 get together supports the other.

The divorce court need to not aim on any one particular of these components but assessment the totality of the instances of each and every specific situation.

If the above factors implement to you or your ex-spouse, then you should really be conscious that you may file a movement or your ex-partner may perhaps file a motion to terminate alimony or spousal guidance. This is a difficult authorized situation which will require testimony and argument in court docket. You must speak to an lawyer to stand for you if you want to prevail.