The July 17, 2019 Court of Appeals opinion in Hagood v. Hagood establishes important points on transmutation and alimony. It is one of the rare published opinions to reject a transmutation claim while finding a special equity interest. It is the first published opinion in twenty years to address nonmarital assets as a basis to […]
Posts Tagged ‘Alimony/Spousal Support’
Alimony for the less ambitious spouse
On June 6, 2019, I argued an appeal in the Court of Appeals that involved a novel issue that I expect to become increasingly common. The family court ordered my client, the Appellant/Wife (I was not the trial attorney), to pay significant permanent periodic alimony to her now Ex-Husband. Unhappy with the both amount and […]
Unpublished Court of Appeals opinion does the unprecedented
For the 25 years I have been practicing family law no published South Carolina appellate opinion has approved an award of rehabilitative alimony. While I only began reading unpublished opinions in 2004, I cannot recall any such unpublished opinions. I certainly cannot recall any opinion in which an appellate court reversed an award of permanent […]
Supreme Court acknowledges investment income is a factor in awarding alimony but affirms alimony award in which family court declined to set a specific figure for such income
The March 20, 2019, South Carolina Supreme Court opinion in Sweeney v. Sweeney “establishes” something I had assumed was already well established: in setting alimony, the family court should consider investment income available to the parties. After all, the sixth alimony factor is “the current and reasonably anticipated earnings of both spouses.” S.C. Code Ann. […]
There is no formula to predict South Carolina alimony obligations
There’s a chart circulating amongst South Carolina family law attorneys that lists most of the published alimony opinions and has columns for the amount of alimony ordered, length of marriage, the spouses’ respective incomes and expenses, grounds for divorce, and other factors described in the alimony statute. My understanding is that family law attorneys look […]
Bojilov highlights importance of a good record and accurate financial declarations
The September 19, 2018 Court of Appeals opinion in Bojilov v. Bojilov, 425 S.C. 161, 819 S.E.2d 791 (Ct. App. 2018), doesn’t establish any novel legal issues but does highlight important recurring issues in South Carolina Family Law. Bojilov stems from a divorce, with the primary issues on appeal being child custody, Husband’s right to […]
For South Carolina spouses seeking alimony, adultery is fatal, attempted murder is not
While driving back from court yesterday I received a telephone call from Buzzfeed asking me about the impact of domestic violence on alimony. The reporter wanted to know whether domestic abusers were more likely to pay alimony. What I informed her about South Carolina alimony had to seem bizarre. The answer to her question about […]
Smith case addresses alimony and transmutation issues
While there is nothing surprising in the September 19, 2018 Court of Appeals opinion in Smith v. Smith, 425 S.C. 119, 819 S.E.2d 769 (Ct. App. 2018), the decision addresses some novel issues of alimony and equitable distribution. Smith stems from a divorce action filed by Wife on December 27, 2013. For the previous five […]