How does the court decide if spousal support should be awarded in Colorado?

Spousal maintenance, known in other states as “alimony” or “spousal support,” can be sought by either party in a divorce or legal separation matter. In Colorado, there is no absolute entitlement to spousal maintenance. The court must first determine if the spouse is entitled to support. If entitlement is found, the court then determines the amount and duration of maintenance. In finding entitlement, the court is required by statute to determine whether the spouse seeking maintenance lacks sufficient property, including marital property apportioned to him or her, to provide for his or her reasonable needs, and is unable to support him or herself through appropriate employment or is a custodian of a child whose condition or circumstances make it appropriate that the custodian not be required to seek employment outside the home. The amount and length of time of maintenance, if justified, involves consideration of all “relevant factors”, which include many things, including the financial resources of the spouse seeking maintenance, the time necessary for the party seeking maintenance to acquire sufficient education or training so that he or she can find appropriate employment, the spouse’s future earning capacity, the standard of living established during the marriage, the duration of the marriage, the age and physical and emotional condition of the spouse seeking maintenance and the ability of the spouse from the maintenance decide to meet his or her needs wall meaning those of the spouse was seeking maintenance

Lynn Landis-Brown is a Family Lawyer in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where she founded Lynn Landis-Brown P.C. She listens compassionately and understands your legal, emotional and financial concerns due to her own experiences of divorce from her parents divorcing, her own divorce and now as a step-grandmother. With her background in litigations, she has great experiences with fighting for your rights in the courtroom.