Megan Fox may pay “manimony”…shows us alimony isn’t just for the ladies anymore!
After a 5 year marriage, Megan Fox filed for divorce from Brian Austin Green in August. While there has been much speculation since then as to whether Fox would be on the hook for spousal support, it seems that Green has just confirmed the possibility by his response filed September 29, 2015, on which he reportedly checked that magic little box requesting spousal support be paid to him by Fox.
Although both parties are celebrities, Fox’s career is currently much more lucrative. On top of that, after a car accident in December 2014 where Fox was not injured, Green supposedly suffers from vertigo which is affecting his ability to work.
Megan isn’t the first celebrity female having to dish out support for her lower-income spouse. Although we’ve all tried to forgive Britney Spears for her past indiscretions, one can’t help but remember her marriage to dancer /pizza delivery boy Kevin Federline where Britney reportedly ended up paying $40,000 a month after their divorce. Yes, I repeat, $40,000 EACH MONTH!
Spousal support, commonly referred to as “alimony,” is rooted in traditional familial roles, where women were homemakers who took care of the children, cleaned, and cooked while the man went out to work and supported the family financially. The woman’s help at home allowed the man to advance his career, a benefit he continued to enjoy after divorce but unfortunately left her at a significant disadvantage when they split. However, with times quickly changing and gender roles in major transition, the chances of a woman being ordered to pay spousal support to a man today are on the rise. This has led to the creation of the somewhat comical new term “manimony.” Manimony… man alimony….. get it? Yeah, we thought so.
Anyways, on a more serious note, here’s a quick glimpse at what goes into a court’s decision on spousal support. California Family Code section 4320 lists a number of factors that a court must consider when making a determination of spousal support. Just some of these are: earning capacity, standard of living during the marriage, marketable skills, time/expense needed for school or training, obligations, length of marriage, domestic violence, age/ health, and more.
Yes, a court is really required to look at all of that when deciding on whether spousal support should be ordered, and how much. As you can imagine, parties will have to provide a lot of information for a court to fully consider all of these factors. There is not a “guideline” amount for spousal support as there is for child support, because a court makes a determination based on what it finds to be just and reasonable given the parties’ circumstances. This means that a court has a lot of discretion in this area.
It remains to be seen whether Fox will actually be ordered to pay spousal support to Green. In the absence of an agreement between the parties, the determination will rely on the factors above. Just as Fox and Green each have attorneys on their side through the divorce process, so should you. If you are considering a divorce from your spouse, or have questions regarding spousal support or anything else related to divorce and child custody, our experienced divorced attorneys are here to help.
Nancy J. Bickford is the only lawyer in San Diego County representing clients in divorces, who is a Certified Family Law Specialist (CFLS) and who is actively licensed as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). Don’t settle for less when determining your rights. Call 858-793-8884 in Del Mar, Carmel Valley, North County or San Diego.