Alimony Reform Movement Seeks to Limit Spousal Support

The Wall Street Journal has published an article examining the push for alimony reform and why it is becoming a growing movement. According to the article, the main contention is that current alimony laws have the potential to force couples to remain together financially and personally until death, even after divorce. The movement is driven by the opinion that alimony laws have become unfair and outdated in a time when many recipients are healthy, college-educated, and employed. Reform measures being supported in a growing number of states include limitations such as restricting the duration of alimony and curtailing payment amounts to a certain percentage of the payer's monthly gross income. These proposals may also affect alimony judgments retroactively.

Cindy Pham is a third year law student at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law and contributes to IAALS Online. Please direct inquiries about this post to iaals@du.edu.