Many people are familiar with alimony, but do you know what palimony is? Palimony is often misunderstood, and it’s often confused with alimony. If your relationship with your partner is ending and one partner requires financial assistance, you’ll want to know whether the individual qualifies for alimony or palimony.
What is palimony?
Palimony is the situation where one partner provides financial support to another partner after their non-marital relationship has ended. In contrast, alimony is a court-ordered payment from one spouse to another after legal marriage.
What are the qualifications for palimony?
Firstly, the couples must have cohabited for a significant period of time. Additionally, the receiving partner must be able to show that they made a substantial contribution to their partner’s well-being during the relationship. It also helps if there is a written agreement between both parties that outlines who would provide financial assistance post-breakup. If you are able to prove that such an agreement existed, then the court will enforce this contract even though your partnership involved cohabitation.
What happens if there are children involved?
It’s important to know that if there are children involved, the court will always attempt to provide support for them. If there is no written agreement regarding financial assistance after a breakup, then palimony can still get awarded in order to ensure that both parents receive equal rights and opportunities with regard to custody of their kids. Since this isn’t a legal requirement, it’s still possible for the court to rule against palimony and award the receiving partner additional child support.
Palimony can be very complicated. So, if you’re involved in a non-marital relationship, you should always have a written agreement in place that outlines who will be responsible for providing financial assistance if the relationship ends.
