No Longer Satisfied With the Terms of Your Divorce? Explore Modification

Alimony, child support, custody arrangements -- all can be changed to accommodate major changes in your life since your divorce.

2012-06-14

June 14, 2012 (Press-News.org) A divorce becomes final either through a settlement agreement or a court decision. Yet, even the symbolic conclusiveness of a divorce decree does not mean your divorce terms can never be revisited.

Under Massachusetts law, you may modify your divorce agreement to better reflect the changing circumstances of your life. Obtaining a divorce modification is not always easy, but with the help of the right attorney, you could be well on your way toward fairer child support, child custody, visitation and alimony terms.

Material and Substantial Change in Circumstances Key to Obtaining Divorce Modification

Typically only issues involving minor children, alimony and health insurance can be modified; the survival language in the divorce agreement/judgment is essential to that analysis. Property division is always final.

A divorce modification is not the same as an appeal. While parties to a divorce may appeal a trial court's decision to a higher court, it is extremely rare for an appellate judge to overturn a divorce ruling. Furthermore, if both parties agreed to a settlement agreement, they are usually prohibited from filing an appeal.

A divorce modification is a very different process than an appeal. When you file a complaint for modification, you are asking the trial court itself to change the terms of your divorce decree.

So why would a judge modify a decree that likely took weeks to hammer out in the first place? Typically, there has to have been some significant change in the lives of one or both former spouses in order for a modification to be granted.

For instance, a substantial increase or decrease in the income of either party could justify a modification of child support. When it comes to child custody and visitation, relocation of one of the parents, a change in the work schedule of a parent, or the child's environment becoming unsafe (for example, if a new boyfriend or girlfriend of one of the parents is a drug user) could all be reasons for a modification.

Alimony, otherwise known as spousal support, is unique in that significant changes to Massachusetts alimony laws went into effect in March 2012. Now, alimony generally can be ended when the payer reaches retirement age or when the recipient begins living with a romantic partner. In addition, there is a new formula for determining alimony based on the length of the marriage. Finally, lifetime alimony has been abolished -- Massachusetts residents paying it may file for modification beginning in 2013.

Contact a Massachusetts Family Law Modification Attorney for Help

Do not continue to live under divorce terms that no longer comport with the realities of your day-to-day life. If you need a divorce modification, get in touch with a Massachusetts family law attorney today.

Article provided by Percy Tedeschi & Associates, P.C.
Visit us at www.ptklaw.com

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

London researchers discover novel mechanism involved in key immune response

2012-06-14

LONDON, ON – A team of researchers at Lawson Health Research Institute and Western University have identified a novel way that a common virus, called adenovirus, causes disease. In doing so, they have discovered important information on one of the body's key immune responses. Their findings, published today in Cell Host & Microbe, may have implications for infectious diseases and cancer. Adenovirus infections most often cause mild illnesses of the respiratory system, resulting in runny noses, coughs and sore throats. However, researchers have been interested in adenoviruses ...

Web-based tool helps parents improve on kids' asthma treatment

2012-06-14

SEATTLE: June 13, 2012 — Asthma is the most common chronic illness in adolescents and children, affecting an estimated seven million children up to the age of 17 in the United States. The burden of asthma on children is substantial: kids with asthma have a three-fold greater risk of school absence than children without asthma, and asthma is the third leading cause of hospitalization among children under the age of 15. Some parents of children with asthma have a tough time complying with treatment guidelines. Numerous surveys report between 40 to 60 percent of kids ...

NightVision Outdoor Lighting Will Take Over Competitors' Atlanta Outdoor Lighting Systems

2012-06-14

If you've been burned by your Atlanta outdoor lighting company, NightVision Outdoor Lighting is here to help. The company is happy to take over any competitor's outdoor lighting system if you are dissatisfied by the competitor's performance. Many Atlanta homeowners find themselves in the tough position of being unhappy with their Atlanta landscape lighting company but feeling like they can't leave. NightVision Outdoor Lighting wishes to put to bed the idea that only one lighting company can maintain your lighting system. A significant portion of NightVision's clientele ...

Got mass? Princeton scientists observe electrons become both heavy and speedy

2012-06-14

VIDEO: This video displays heavy electrons at different energies and shows their standing wave patterns (like water in a pond) around individual atomic defects placed intentionally in a compound. The patterns... Click here for more information. A Princeton University-led team of scientists has shown how electrons moving in certain solids can behave as though they are a thousand times more massive than free electrons, yet at the same time act as speedy superconductors. The ...

Atlanta Exterminator, North Fulton Pest Solutions Warns Homeowners About Summer Ant Problems

2012-06-14

Summertime is ant season in Georgia, and Atlanta pest control company North Fulton Pest Solutions knows how difficult it can be for homeowners to eradicate ants from the home and yard once they've set up a colony. Georgia has many different varieties of ants and each of them presents its own dangers and challenges. Fire ants are, obviously, the worst of the bunch. Overly aggressive and intensely protective of their nests, fire ants operate as a group to attack and destroy anything that could pose a threat to their colony. If you, your child, or even your pet should ...

Atlanta Movers AC White Relocations Offers CityPointe to All Atlanta Moving Clients

2012-06-14

Atlanta relocation specialists AC White Relocations are pleased to announce that they offer United Van Lines' CityPointe program to their moving clients. CityPointe is a program available through United Van Lines agents like AC White Relocations. It provides moving clients with relocation solutions which minimize some of the challenges of relocating. One of the relocation solutions CityPointe provides is real estate services. CityPointe finds local real estate agents who are the best of their field and then connects them with program members to help with their real ...

Increased use of hand held devices may call for new photo guidelines

2012-06-14

Rockville, Md. – Viewing Facebook and Flickr photos on a smart phone are becoming common practice. But according to a recently published Journal of Vision study, pictures on the small screen often appear distorted. Vision scientists found that perceptual distortions occur because picture takers do not take their viewing distance into account. The researchers propose the use of longer focal lengths — 100mm — to create content that is viewed on the small screens of mobile devices. Shorter lengths — 50 mm — should be used for photo images used on larger devices, such as ...

New drug-screening method yields long-sought anti-HIV compounds

2012-06-14

LA JOLLA, CA – June 13, 2012 – Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have used a powerful new chemical-screening method to find compounds that inhibit the activity of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS. Unlike existing anti-HIV drugs, the compounds bind to a protein called "nucelocapsid," which is unlikely to mutate into drug-resistant forms. "Most of the nucleocapsid-inhibiting compounds that have been identified to date are very toxic, but our screening method identified inhibitors that are less toxic and thus more likely to lead ...

Georgia Health Insurance Provider McCart Insurance Discusses Who Needs Individual Health Plans

2012-06-14

Georgia health insurance broker McCart Insurance wishes to inform the public about the different people who should have individual health insurance. There are many different career paths that can lead a person to end up without employer provided health insurance. Self-employed individuals, temporary or contract employees, job seekers, students, and even ineligible workers can all find themselves without the health insurance they need if they do not seek out individual healthcare options. This can be costly Georgia individual health insurance is one of the most important ...

Makers of Natural Weight Loss Supplement Healthe Trim Note Correlation Between Sleep and Weight Loss

2012-06-14

HealthyLife Sciences, makers of the all natural weight loss supplement Healthe Trim, remind those trying to lose weight that it is important to maintain a healthy sleep schedule to have the best weight loss success. Scientists have discovered that sleep schedules are a major part of weight loss management. This is because a healthy sleep schedule lowers hormones that trigger hunger, whereas sleep deprivation increases these hormones and causes people to eat more. By maintaining a healthy sleep schedule of around 7.5 hours each night, test subjects found they were able ...