Does Cheating Affect Alimony?
Each year, countless marriages unravel because of adultery. So, if your
marriage has been affected because someone cheated, you have plenty of
company. You may also want to know if cheating has any impact on
spousal support (alimony) in California. This is a perfectly normal question to ask, especially
since many states frown heavily upon infidelity.
All states have their own ways of dealing with infidelity or marital misconduct in a divorce case. In some states, if it can be proven that a spouse cheated, then it can bar that spouse from receiving alimony that he or she otherwise would have been entitled to. However, that is not how it works in California.
Adultery Laws in California
California is a no-fault divorce state; California judges are not concerned with marital misconduct when it comes to alimony awards. The judge’s main objective is to ensure the lower-earning or dependent spouse does not end up penniless because of the divorce.
What a judge is concerned with is 1) the lower-earning spouse’s need for spousal support and, 2) the higher-earning spouse’s ability to pay it. Adultery is not a factor when determining an award for spousal support.
The key factors considered when a judge considers making a spousal support award:
- The length of the marriage
- The income and assets of each spouse
- The age and health of each spouse
- Each spouse’s contribution to the marriage
- The education and earning capacity of each spouse
- The separate property of each spouse
There is one exception when it comes to marital misconduct impacting spousal support. When one spouse has been abusive and they have been convicted of spousal abuse or child abuse, the judge has the power to reduce or deny spousal support altogether to a spouse who would otherwise be entitled to it.
For divorce representation in Fresno, contact Arnold Law Group, APC today!
Blog Author: Attorney Joseph Arnold​
Joseph Arnold formed Arnold Law Group, APC​.
Visit his bio to learn more about how he approaches each client with compassion, while still fighting for justice.
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