Spousal support payments:

[BlackStrayCat]

Hello any legal person and thank you if you reply. I would be HUGELY grateful:

In brief:

1. Divorced last month after 2 years of refusal/delay you name it.
2. First payment today.
3. Dcs payment fine.
4. My spousal support less than half it should be (was not much anyway, 150 pounds).

It was DV case, he was guilty in court and I have full custody. Ex does not see children.
Ex hugely wealthy but hid money. Money not an issue for him.
Can ex do this and is he going to make my life a misery until I die?

I thought it was all over. I am moving on, happily. But money is very tight.
My lawyer is asking his lawyer but I wanted a perspective from other lawyers (I have a legal aid lawyer)

TIA

My understanding is that you give him the opportunity to pay (say 14 days) then you can begin debt proceedings for breach of order (there is a specific simple form).

It took a few months to get to Court (simple debt action) but think interest can be added/other sanctions available to the Court as well.

I’m not a family lawyer but I had this happen to me (in my case, he reduced the child maintenance payment within the Court Order). As an aside, remember that after 12 months, the child maintenance payment in the Court Order falls away if one of you approaches CMS (and CMS calculation supersedes it). And CMS has a lot of loopholes for those who try to hide their earnings/wealth…

Thank you @Bumblebee47 very much.

It was court ordered last month to be paid the same day every month for 4 years. He has always been financially abusive. This first payment he has decided he will not make. Not even one payment.

I was totally relying on it.

Oh well, court it is, again. I suppose it will just back up his previous conviction.

Just feel I am wasting my life and watching my DCs grow older, unhappily.

Thanks again.

You may want to ask your solicitor to suggest to his that he capitalises the spousal amount (pays a lump sum now for the full four years).

Definitely take the debt action if he doesn’t pay. The judge has a lot of powers available including repaying debt.

Thank you yes, I wanted a lump sum so I could start a business so he said no, monthly only.
All signed off. Divorced.

I agreed to it all and now: first payment and he is playing a stupid game which will again bite him in his arse, but I cannot carry on with courts and lawyers, I have so much to organise now for DCs.

Leaving it with the lawyer for now.
Basically, he is breaking the law. Again. Because he thinks he can.

Just leave me alone and get on with your life!

Thanks bumblebee