Legal Question in Family Law in New Jersey

My Husband and I have been married for 20 years but separated for 10, and now he want a divorce. We were married in the Bahamas but I don't have the marriage papers. I want to know if I am entitled to alimony?


Asked on 8/22/09, 3:11 pm

4 Answers from Attorneys

Gary Moore Gary Moore Attorney At Law

The rule of thumb is that a ten year marriage entitles the dependent spouse to alimony. Of course this rule applies to situations where one spouse has greatly more income than the other and the spouse with the lesser income can not maintain the standard of living to which he or she became accustomed to during the marriage.

Each marriage is unique in terms of evaluating the entitlement to alimony. A detailed interview

by an attorney is necessary to answer your question as it relates to your situation.

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Answered on 8/27/09, 3:38 pm
Bernard J. Berkowitz Berkowitz & Raiken

The short answer is Maybe. The long answer is it depends on a lot of factors. The length of your marriage being on of the factors.

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Answered on 8/27/09, 4:04 pm
Jef Henninger, Esq Law Offices of Jef Henninger, Esq.

This might not be the answer you are looking for, but I think you are going to have a tough time getting alimony in this case after supporting yourself for 10 years.

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Answered on 8/27/09, 4:07 pm
Robert Davies The Davies Law Firm, P.A.

Probably yes, and you should fight for it.

It does not matter that you can not find your marriage papers now, don't worry about that.

Get a lawyer to help you. If you are anywhere near me, then I would like to talk to you and see if I can help you.

Please give me a call. The telephone discussion will be free of charge, and I will let you know what I believe I can do to assist you further. My contact information can be obtained from the links below, just click on the Attorney Profile link. Let my secretary know you found me through LawGuru.

Disclaimer: Your question and any response does NOT create an attorney-client relationship between you and this law firm. You can not rely on the statements made by an attorney given over the internet. The exact facts of your situation, including facts which you have not mentioned in your question, may completely change the result for your situation.

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Answered on 8/27/09, 5:19 pm


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