Massachusetts Alimony Reform

Peace, Independence, and Self-Sufficiency
for the Parties to Divorce

Beacon Hill Weighs A Split From Lifetime Alimony

Once upon a time, alimony laws in Massachusetts made sense. They were enacted when the husband was usually the sole breadwinner. In a typical marriage back then, the wife took care of the home, raised the children and probably didn’t have a chance to develop a marketable skill. So when a marriage ended in divorce, a judge could order the ex-husband to pay alimony to his ex-wife for life.

But it’s a different world today, with women making up nearly half of the American workforce. But while the times have changed, the state’s alimony laws have not. And Massachusetts remains one of the few states that still awards lifetime alimony — even after a brief marriage comes to an end.

But now, Massachusetts is considering amending its alimony laws. On Beacon Hill this week there were hearings on a proposed bill that has broad support. If passed, it would end alimony for life in most cases and put limits on how much one ex is required to pay the other.

Listen to Steve Hitner Interview on WCCM Radio, here.

January 28, 2010, WGBH Emily Rooney Show.

Discussion with Steve Hitner, President of Mass Alimony Reform on the need for updating outdated Massachusetts alimony laws. Listen to the January 28, 2010 broadcast (go to 40 minutes into the show.)

WAQY Classic Rock Bax and O'Brien December 2, 2009, WAQY Classic Rock Interview With Steve Hitner, President of Mass Alimony Reform by Bax and O'Brien on their morning show. Listen to the broadcast.

WRKO Finneran's Forum

November 17, 2009, WRKO with Tom Finneran, Steve Hitner, and Tim Taylor. Listen to the broadcast

Til Death Do They Pay?

11/03/2009
Women make up half the work force. Men are being laid off in greater numbers. The whole world of family and marriage has been widely re-engineered.

So who should pay whom — and for how long — when a marriage breaks up? States are rewriting laws.

Massachusetts Governor Patrick to OK changes to alimony laws: MyFoxBOSTON.com

Lifetime alimony: How long is too long?: MyFoxBOSTON.com
March 17, 2011: Alimony Reform Bill Fine: WCVB-TV President And General Manager ‘The Alimony Reform Act of 2011 brings needed changes: term limits on alimony, exclusion of second spouses' assets in determining payments and greater discretion for judges in crafting agreements. Two groups who have often been at odds on these issues - Massachusetts' Alimony Reform and the Massachusetts Women's Bar Association - endorse the bill. So does the Massachusetts Bar Association. When it comes to approving this common sense reform, we encourage all state legislators to follow their lead and say "I do."’ More...
Reforming Massachusetts Alimony Laws "Under current law, ex-spouses in Massachusetts are required to pay alimony for life. But a new bill proposes changing the alimony system from one based on entitlement to one based on need. Emily [Rooney] is joined by attorney Wendy Murphy, Marc Fitzgerald of the Massachusetts Bar Association and alimony reform supporter Gregory Shoukimas."
	WCVB Ch5 Boston State Could End Alimony For Life Law Most Sides Agree Law Is Unfair, Needs Overhaul POSTED: 3:14 pm EST February 8, 2011 BOSTON -- Getting married is one of the happiest times in life, but life can get very unhappy if the marriage ends in divorce. If you live in the state of Massachusetts, there's one thing that never ends: alimony. It's a life-long financial obligation that can turn lives and finances upside down. Now a new legislative proposal could radically change that mandate. More...
	Alimony reform bill: Are changes on the way?: MyFoxBOSTON.com January 26, 2011
	FOX 25 NEWS: MA Alimony Laws: Close to Reform? (FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com) - When it comes to paying up after a divorce, the alimony laws in Massachusetts have often been called outdated and maybe even unfair. Legislation at the Statehouse could change the way alimony works here. Story link: MyFoxBOSTON.com
	WCVB TV 5 Alimony Acrimony "Love may come, and love may go, but divorce is forever. And in Massachusetts, so is alimony. Is that right?" Watch "Alimony Acrimony" Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4
	HDNET World Report Divorce 2010: The Rise of "Manimony" Wednesday, March 24, 2010 (Preview) A Massachusetts woman, who pays $100,000 per year in alimony to her ex-husband was handcuffed and leg shackled in the Massachusetts Probate and Family Court and sent to jail. Why? When her real estate job fell on hard times due to the recession, she ran out of money to pay alimony. This was despite taking care of her two children at home. Her male friend, who she was dating, paid $30,000 to get her out of jail. "Divorce proceedings have a new twist: record numbers of ex-wives are writing the alimony checks instead of receiving them. World Report looks at the new downside for women who out-succeed their ex-husbands." Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
	WGBH Channel 2 Rethinking Alimony on Emily Rooney's Greater Boston Tuesday, February 23, 2010 (10 minutes) Watch Video "According to the U.S. Census Bureau, men accounted for 97% of alimony-payers last year. While alimony was originally intended to support moms who sacrificed career for family, critics say it creates a culture of dependency. Two bills in the Massachusetts legislature are aimed at reforming the state's alimony laws."
	WBZ TV4 Alimony For Life - Push To Change Mass. Laws A divorce doesn't mean anything is final. In Massachusetts you could be forced to pay alimony for life.
	Fox TV News 25 Changing the state alimony laws In Massachusetts, things work differently. One ex may be required to keep the other in the lifestyle they were accustomed to during the marriage forever, regardless of who ended it.
	NECN Cable News BBJ: Alimony reform bill controversy The Boston Bar Association has thrown its support behind one of two competing alimony reform bills, sparking controversy in the process.
	NECN Cable News Dueling alimony reform Alimony payments can go on for a long time in Massachusetts. Current law doesn't cap the duration of alimony awards. Now there's not one, but two proposed bills to change that..
	Oral Arguments Before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial court Pierce v. Pierce The MA Supreme Judicial Court heard Briefs on whether an alimony payer may retire and end alimony payments.
	Fox TV News 25 Paying Alimony Forever? At the Norfolk County Jail, he was inmate 35634. Foxboro business owner Jim Foley spent two weeks behind bars. His crime was failure to pay his ex-wife $8,500 in spousal support.
	Fox TV News 25 Rewriting Mass Alimony Laws Interview with Kris Fireswick, Author of Boston Magazine's "Till Death do Us Pay" The poster child for progressive marriage laws, Massachusetts is also a singularly nightmarish place to get a divorce—especially for the better-off spouse.
	You Tube 90 Days In Massachusetts Jail A man whose only crime is that he is divorced is now serving 90 days in jail because he is UNABLE to pay unreasonable alimony demands by the Massachusetts probate court.
	You Tube Alimony Lottery Two women discuss their financial and marital situations, while revealing how alimony is like a winning lotto ticket.
	You Tube Alimony: Wedding Scene The financial dangers of being a second wife -- court orders to pay alimony to the first wife.
	You Tube Divorce Advice : How to Calculate the Amount of Alimony You Will Receive in a Divorce In divorces, alimony is unlike child support in that it is generally up to the discretion of the court.
	You Tube New Twist in Divorce - Alimony to Men(An Ex to Grind) Jane Heller, author of the novel, AN EX TO GRIND, fills in James Michael Tyler on the latest twists in divorce, "bumbo" ex-husbands...

Massachusetts Alimony Reform

Beacon Hill Weighs A Split From Lifetime Alimony

Reforming Massachusetts Alimony Laws

WCVB Ch5 Boston