Bergen County Divorce Lawyers: Changes May Be Coming to New York Alimony

According to the Wall Street Journal, a New York lawmaker has proposed legislation to change alimony guidelines, which include setting new rules to determine the length and amount of post-divorce awards.

The WSJ reports that the proposed legislation would abolish “sweeping changes” made to matrimonial laws just three years ago, which are used for current support calculation guidelines. “We’re really just trying to accommodate a lot of interests in a very quick fashion,” Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, a Westchester Democrat told the WSJ. “I think everybody’s very pleased with the direction that we’re going.”

The proposal would make the length of alimony payments depend on the length of a marriage. For example, for a couple married five years or less, alimony payment terms would be capped at 30 percent of the length of the actual marriage. For couples with longer marriages, the cap would increase. The alimony term would reach a limit for couples who were married for 25 years or more, at 100 percent of the marriage term length—meaning a person married for 25 years or more may be required to pay alimony for a term of 25 years or more.

Some lawmakers and attorneys disagree with the proposal. “We believe this bill should be rejected,” Michael Stutman, president of the New York chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers told the WSJ.

According to the WSJ, the proposed legislation would also eliminate laws that treat licenses or professional degrees earned during marriages as assets. There is also language in the proposed legislation allowing a spouse to continue to receive alimony even after he or she remarries—a drastic change from current laws.

A divorce can be hard to navigate without legal assistance. If you are thinking about bringing legal action against your spouse, fill out a contact form on our website or contact our firm at (866) 971-0927 to see how our experienced divorce attorneys can help you.

Kantrowitz, Goldhamer, Graifman, Perlmutter & Carballo, P.C. – Bergen County Divorce Attorneys