Spousal Support Enforcement Attorneys

Spousal support, also known as alimony, is a key means of getting on your feet and taking care of yourself after a divorce. If your former spouse is failing to make those crucial support payments, you will want to contact Gregory Law PLLC to pursue an enforcement case.

When your divorce agreement guarantees you spousal support, you are legally entitled to that full amount for as long as the agreement holds. Unfortunately, some former spouses refuse to live up to this legal obligation. This can put your finances into extreme jeopardy, forcing you to take out loans, take on extra work, and struggle just to get by.

You should not have to live with these difficulties and Gregory Law PLLC can help ensure that you do not have to any longer. Our experienced team can pursue an enforcement claim on your former spouse that will compel them to make the payments they are required to make so that you get the money you are owed.

If you are not receiving the spousal support your divorce guaranteed you in the Houston area, contact Gregory Law PLLC right away at (713) 861-1293 so we can get those support payments started again as soon as possible.

How a Lawyer Helps You Enforce Spousal Support

Filing for enforcement of your spousal support is a difficult legal process. It requires the careful completion of paperwork so no information is lacking and courts can order punishments against your former spouse.

Texas Family Code § 8.051 provides that the court can order spousal maintenance if one spouse is unable to provide for their own minimum needs. Spousal maintenance is available after a domestic violence conviction, if the marriage lasted at least ten years, or if the spouse seeking maintenance or their child has a disability, among other reasons.

Under Texas Family Code § 8.054, a court cannot order alimony that remains in effect for more than:

• Five years when the spouses were married for less than ten years and the spouse from whom maintenance is requested was convicted of a domestic violence offense, or the spouses were married to each other for at least 10 years but not more than 20 years
• Seven years when the spouses were married to each other for at least 20 years but not more than 30 years
• Ten years when the spouses were married to each other for 30 years or more

Texas Family Code § 8.056 states that a maintenance obligation can be terminated when either party dies, the spouse for whom maintenance was ordered remarries, or the spouse for whom maintenance was ordered cohabits with another person in a dating or romantic relationship.

While it may seem that you should only need to present the bare facts of your case, you may need to develop more compelling and legally advanced arguments that will persuade the court to step in and put additional pressure on your spouse. Simply showing that your spouse missed payments may not be enough if your spouse argues that they should not have to pay anymore.

Because this case is so crucial for your financial security and personal prospects, you do not want to risk the court coming to the wrong conclusion. Your lawyer can look over your case and build the best arguments that are most likely to sway the judge. Your lawyer’s experience will allow them to know which arguments work most often for cases like yours.

Why Choose Gregory Law PLLC?

Spousal support is a sensitive and important issue. It can be your only means of surviving financially after a divorce. Because of that, you want a lawyer that is more than just a source of legal knowledge: you want a lawyer that understands just how serious this enforcement issue is for you.

At Gregory Law PLLC, we have developed a reputation as a firm that always puts our clients first. We will put in that extra shift, reach for that extra legal argument, and put that extra effort in every time because we know what this means to you.

For us, the whole point of working in family law is to help people like you get on their feet and find stability and happiness. We combine that client focus with decades of experience and extensive legal skills. No matter the complexity of your spousal support enforcement case, we have seen it before and know how to overcome it.

When your missing spousal support payments are important enough to you to go to court, you do not want to put just any lawyer up to argue for you and represent you. You want a lawyer that cares about the outcome of your case, and who has the ability to fight for you and win for you.

Ways We Can Compel Payment of Spousal Support

When we successfully win a spousal support enforcement, there are many options at the disposal of the court to force your former partner to pay all that is owed to you. For instance, the court can rule to:

• Garnish wages: If your former spouse has been refusing to voluntarily pay support, that support can be taken directly from their paycheck, preventing them from withholding payments.
• Seize property: In some circumstances, the court can seize your former spouse’s property in order to pay your support.
• Withholding a federal tax refund: Any tax refunds from the federal government can be intercepted and used to pay your support.

There are also numerous penalties that we can explore with the court, which might further entice your former partner to pay regularly. Some of the punishments a spousal support enforcement can lead to include:

• Suspending a driver’s license: One means to compel payment is the threat of losing a driver’s license. This can cause extreme annoyance and difficulty for your former spouse, making them far more eager to pay what is legally required of them.
• Suspending a professional license: As with a driver’s license, the loss of a professional license can make it difficult for your former spouse to continue working successfully. The risk of their career may force them to finally pay.
• Denial of passport: If your former spouse has the money to travel out of the country, they should have the money to pay your spousal support.
• Prison: In some circumstances, the refusal to pay spousal support can lead to a jail or prison sentence. This very severe punishment may be used for those who repeatedly refuse to maintain payments they are required to make.

These punishments vary in severity, and they are meant to serve as a wide range of options for the court depending on the severity of the spousal support violation. Contact us to find out more about how we can enforce the payment of your spousal support.

Let Us Help You Get the Support You Need

You don’t have to struggle on your own when you are legally entitled to assistance. If you or someone you know in the Houston area is not receiving their spousal support payments, contact Gregory Law PLLC at (713) 861-1293 to find out more about how we can pursue an enforcement case on your behalf. Our enforcement lawyers are standing by and ready to help you.