Many may go into divorce proceedings in Reading thinking that an award of alimony to one side will be automatic. They may be unpleasantly surprised to find out that alimony is not a given. Spousal support is not meant to be punitive towards one side in a divorce agreement in any way; rather, it is supposed to help one side support him or herself until he or she is able to finance the same standard of living he or she enjoyed while married on his or her own. This also reveals another misunderstood fact about alimony: It typically is not meant to be permanent. It may be paid for a predetermined period of time, or be revoked upon the review of the court that ordered it.
It may also be paid in one lump-sum. That is what was ordered in a recent divorce case involving two professional basketball players. The husband played six years in NBA, during which time it was reported that he made over $12 million. His now ex-wife, however, found significantly more success during her time in the WNBA, twice being named the league’s MVP. Reports are that while she currently does not make in the WNBA anywhere near what he did while playing domestically, she draws in a significantly higher salary from playing oversees and doing television studio analysis for college and professional games.
The judge hearing their case ordered her to make a one-time $400,000 alimony payment to him as part of their settlement. The hope is that in this case (and others like it), such an amount is sufficient to support divorcees and to cover their legal costs. Those in need of alimony payments such as this may want to work with an experienced family law attorney to secure them.
Source: The Charlotte Observer “Former Duke men’s basketball star about to get major alimony payday from soon-to-be ex” Wertz, Langston Jr, Apr. 17, 2018