On September 10, 2014 Governor Chris Christie signed into law the highly anticipated Alimony Statute which modifies how Alimony is awarded in New Jersey. The most significant changes include:
• For marriages that lasted fewer than 20 years, the length of alimony payments cannot exceed the length of the marriage unless a judge decides there are “exceptional circumstances.”
• Judges would be able to end payments if the recipient lives with a partner, even if they don’t get married.
• Judges would be able to lower payments if the payer has been out of work for 90 days.
• The term “permanent alimony” would be replaced with “open durational alimony.”
The new statute takes effect immediately and applies to all prospective cases. If you would like to learn how the new alimony statute affects you, please contact [nap_names id=”FIRM-NAME-1″] for a consultation.