Maintenance

[lainiej]

Is it a legal obligation for a man to pay maintenance to his ex-wife for life? No dependant children and she has a full time job. Thanks

[PipinHull]

Certainly possible for a woman (or man) to ask for it - it's called a joint lives order and is essentially about preventing undue hardship (basically keeping someone in the manner to which they've become accustomed). Maintenance for children is a separate issue, the joint lives order is about spousal maintenance. I don't think there's even a set number of years that you have to be married before you can ask for it. I find the idea of a couple being married for a few years then one being able to claim maintenance from the other for the rest of their lives pretty horrible to be honest but that's just a personal opinion.

[PipinHull]

Sorry should add that if the ex spouse has a full-time job that does have a bearing on it - joint lives orders are to prevent 'undue hardship' so if they are fully supporting themselves and paying the bills etc then it gets much harder to argue for the necessity of it. Order can also be revoked, if for example they remarry...

[lainiej]

thanks very much for that pip.. I agree that its a horrible prospect and borne out of greed. My brother was married for 26 yrs and is now in a new relationship - getting married later this yr - has forked out a fortune to his ex and so she will agree to their divorce has accepted this JLO. Their kids are both grown men. She works full time. It makes me (and our family ) so angry!

[craft1948]

My mother was awarded maintenance separately from the monies for the children. The order carried on until my father reached 65.

[PipinHull]

My brother is in a similar situation but he was only married for 7 years. She didn't work for a while when they were married (to stay at home with kids) but before that earned around £100k a year. She now says she cannot work again - she'll be in her fifties when youngest child turns 18 so apparently it's not worth starting working life again at point! I won't even tell you how much of his income she's claiming as it'll make your head hurt.

[lainiej]

I can guess! This leech took half of his pension lump sum (police) and blew it, asked to'borrow' another £3,000 and he pays the mortgage. Do you think she's a tad bitter as well as a greedy b***h?!

[ljdksa]

It sounds unfair if there are no dependant children. They are both in the same position to earn their own money. I assume there must have been some sort of Order with the divorce and it may be worth looking at that to see if it changes when circumstances change.