When it comes to alimony payments, how far would you or your spouse go to get what you deserve? Would you request reasonable spousal support payments or would you make an outrageous request like one Indian woman made recently?
Some of our blog readers here in Washington may have heard about the bizarre request made in a Mumbai court room recently during a divorce, which resulted in the ex-husband being ordered to pay extra money each month to support his ex-wife’s ice cream eating habit. While many people across the nation are considering the request odd and unlikely to happen in the U.S., some might disagree.
As readers of our blog know, spousal maintenance, also known as alimony, helps to balance incomes while maintaining the standard of living one spouse is accustomed to prior to a divorce. In the case of the Mumbai divorcee, his ex-wife had become accustomed to eating ice cream on a regular basis and therefore wanted it included in her alimony payments. Though this may seem extreme, similar circumstances could sway a U.S. judge into making a similar ruling. However, it’s important to point out that having an experienced attorney at your side may prevent this from happening.
Though this isn’t the first unusual divorce ruling to have come from other countries, couples in the United States have made some bizarre requests of their own over the course of history. In the 50-50 division of assets, some spouses have even taken this literally and have taken saws to property, cutting them exactly in half to ensure their spouse gets their equal share.
Though this might seem like a good idea, even a nice way of getting back at an ex-spouse, people here in Washington would be well-advised not to copy such actions. As you might be able to imagine, these actions can sometimes make divorce proceedings more difficult because they may lead to unwanted legal consequences in the end.
Source: The Huffington Post, “Divorce Story: Man Reportedly Ordered To Support Ex-Wife’s Ice Cream Habit,” Aug. 5, 2013