Alimony, << AL uh `moh` nee, >> is support money paid by one spouse (husband or wife) to the other during a legal separation or after a divorce. A court sets the amount of alimony and orders that it be paid either in a lump sum or in installments. A person may also be ordered to pay alimony while waiting for a separation or divorce to be granted.
In many cases in the past, a divorce was granted to one spouse because of misconduct by the other. The marriage partner who was found at fault would not receive alimony. Today, however, courts can grant a divorce without finding either person guilty. These courts base alimony decisions on the spouses’ financial condition. A court may order that no alimony be paid, or that it be paid only temporarily. If the wife has a higher income than her husband, she may have to pay alimony.
People who fail to pay alimony may have payments taken out of their wages, or they may be imprisoned. An alimony order may be changed if either spouse’s financial or marital condition changes.
See also Divorce .
