Can I force my spouse to get life insurance because he pays child support?

Kathryn Freed-Collier, a family lawyer in Frederick, answers:

You cannot force your spouse to get life insurance; however, it can be part of a Marital Separation Agreement, as part of the terms of settlement. The beauty of an agreement is that many issues that cannot be solved in formal court hearings can be solved by the people, themselves. Life insurance is a good example of why it is always better to settle than to litigate. It is common to include life insurance, as part of the settlement. This can include language that the life insurance is to benefit your child, or yourself, or both.

An example of this is:

Each parent will maintain life insurance for no less than $250,000.00 for the benefit of the minor child, until at least the year 2014.