Comedian Pays Alimony

Denver couples who are recently divorced or going through the divorce process may find themselves having to pay alimony to former spouses. Depending on the circumstances of the divorce, alimony may or may not need to be paid. Generally, alimony is needed when there is a large discrepancy in income between spouses. For instance, if one spouse makes hundreds of thousands of dollars while one stays at home, the stay-at-home spouse may need to receive alimony payments as a means of support.

Sometimes, alimony is only temporary, with one spouse needing payments for a short amount of time while he or she adjusts to non-married life and finds a new job and living situation. Both the paying spouse's income and assets and the receiving spouse's situation are taken into account when a judge is determining the amount surrounding alimony payments.

For comedian John Cleese, alimony payments are unusually high. His third wife was a psychotherapist. Cleese, who found major success with Monty Python, was the one ordered to pay alimony. He initially gave his wife $13 million in assets and cash. He has been paying her almost one million dollars per year and will do so until 2016. Cleese has noted that, despite his own financial success, it can be difficult to come up with alimony money.

For those navigating divorce, the emotional complications may be difficult enough without having to worry about undoing financial entanglements and organizing alimony payments. Finding a family law attorney with experience in divorce and other family legal issues may be important for those going through divorce proceedings. With the help of an attorney, divorcing couples could mitigate some of the difficulties that have traditionally plagued the issue of divorce.

Source: The Huffington Post, "John Cleese's Alimony Payments Are No Laughing Matter", January 31, 2014

Tags: Divorce, alimony