California man wants state law to change re spousal support

Judges in family courts often order California spouses who divorce to provide financial supplement to their exes on a temporary basis. In such cases, the court determines what a reasonable period of time might be, then issues an order that specifies the terms. One man has been outspoken in saying that he believes the state's spousal support laws need to change.

The man in question is a father. He is divorced and works as a software engineer. He currently pays his ex $1,000 in spousal support. The man says the judge overseeing his case has ordered him to keep up with payments for the rest of his life.

Child support payments, the man duly noted, are only required until a child reaches age 18. The man says expecting someone to financially provide for a spouse he or she is no longer married to for a lifetime is asking too much. This is why he is lobbying for change, in particular to request that the state limit any spousal support payments to five years. He said people who are depending on former spouses to financially support them indefinitely should have to rely on their own skills and resources to provide for themselves at some point.

Spousal support is particularly important to those who sacrificed careers to stay home and raise children during marriage. Whether the man's efforts to lobby for California state law reform will be successful remains to be seen. In the meantime, any person who encounters legal challenges regarding post-divorce support payments to children or former spouses may request guidance and support from an experienced family law attorney.