Any shot @ rehabilitative alimony w/short marriage?

[Ready2Leave]

My question is, can I get rehabilitative alimony?

We've been married less than 4 yrs, I'm mid-40s and he's mid-50s.Totally separate money accounts, always, no joint accounts. No joint debt. He has credit debt of less than $2K. I have no debt. His assets exceed 1 mil and mine are less than a 1/10th of that.

The house is in his name, he owned it before we married. For 2.5 years, I've paid half of all house-related dues - mortgage, utilities, flood and homeowner insurance, taxes, repair bills, etc.

** Where it gets interesting:** He quit working before we married and lived off the interest from his investments. I was a high-earner until 6 months ago, when I lost my corporate job in a mass layoff. At the beginning of our marriage, he had promised to help support me in my retirement if I would pay for a few household bills so he could spend as little of his investment principal and delay retirement account withdrawal until he was older.

So yours truly paid for his cell phone (my company supplied mine) and bought groceries for almost 3 years until I smartened up. Now, we are back to splitting all house bills again, even though I am unemployed. He now receives income for p/t work, approx 50% under the table.

I am jobhunting aggressively, but in this economy, it could be quite a while before I find a job -- if I stay in this city, which I prefer to do if at all possible. Also, I want to begin graduate school in 2 years.

The only thing that is keeping me from moving out and on is fear that my jobhunt will outlast my unemployment and savings.

Is there any chance in heck I could get rehabilitative alimony?

[Attorney Howard Iken]

I am not too sure about rehab alimony. I don't see enough facts to support this.

What does get me slightly excited is the fact he used non-marital accounts to regularly support the marriage. I would argue that fact "transmutes" or in other words converts the funds to marital.


Attorney Howard Iken
The Divorce Center