Financial support after a divorce is often awarded after the court makes a determination based on a number of factors, such as what each spouse earns and the amount of debt owed and assets owned. Modification and termination of court-ordered spousal support can be granted, but it is usually as a result of special circumstances. Ohio residents may take interest in the story involving a lottery winner and his new spousal support woes.
The man who paid for one state’s Mega Millions lottery ticket wound up being a huge winner last week. He has plans for some of the $273 million he won, but his ex-wife hopes a sense of morality kicks in where she is concerned. According to her, his winning status did not make her want to take him back, and she will not ask for any of the money he won, but she hinted at the fact that he owes her.
The couple had been married 15 years when they chose to divorce last fall, with no reason given in a recent report. The ex-wife claims she has been paying her former husband spousal support while he has stayed at home. The report did not have a response from him, but a long-time friend of the ex insists the man is not lazy.
The report did not specify if the financial support by the ex-wife was court-ordered or just from the goodness of her heart. Should it have been an instruction from the court, she might have a valid argument for termination of the support she pays. As the amount of spousal support is determined on a case-by-case basis, an Ohio attorney will want to review the details of a client’s case before presenting any claims to the court for a decision.