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Non-Modifiable Spousal Support in Arizona | Hildebrand Law, PC

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Non-Modifiable Spousal Support in Arizona

You Can Agree to Non Modifiable Spousal Support in Arizona

People sometimes ask us if you can agree to non modifiable spousal support in Arizona.

The simple answer is, yes, you can agree to make spousal support non modifiable in Arizona.

One of the issues that need to be addressed in a divorce in Arizona is whether one of the spouses need spousal support, referred to as either alimony or spousal maintenance, during or after the divorce is finalized.

A court has broad discretion in determining whether spousal support in an Arizona divorce case is appropriate and, if so, the amount and duration of the spousal support award.

Absent an agreement by the parties to the divorce, a court does not have the authority to make the spousal maintenance award nonmodifiable, which allows the court to subsequently modify or terminate the spousal support award if a change in circumstances justifies such modification or termination of the award.

However, Arizona Revised Statute Section 25-319(c) allows the spouses to agree to the spousal support provisions of the Decree of Dissolution of Marriage or Degree of Legal Separation to be non-modifiable.

There are both pros and cons to agreeing to a non-modifiable award of spousal support.

The advantages include providing the security to both spouses that the court will not change their agreement in the future.

The disadvantage is that circumstances may change for either the spouse paying the spousal support, the spouse receiving the spousal support, or both.

The finality of a non-modifiable spousal support order provides a degree of finality, but that finality can create problems if the parties’ expectations of the future change in a material way.

It is imperative, therefore, to assess, to the extent possible, the probabilities of the parties’ expectations regarding the future will occur.

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The question becomes whether a non-modifiable award of spousal support in Arizona can be set aside or changed.

The Arizona Supreme Court addressed this issue in the case of In re the Marriage of Waldren. Wife filed for divorce seeking to end her marriage to Husband.

The parties submitted a settlement agreement in which they agreed Husband would pay Wife non-modifiable spousal support.

Unfortunately, Husband became disabled a year after the parties’ divorce and was not meeting his spousal support obligations.

Husband filed a motion to set aside that portion of the Divorce Decree requiring him to pay spousal support.

The trial court denied Husband’s motion and the issue was then appealed.

The Arizona Court of Appeals ruled that a court may modify or terminate a non-modifiable award of spousal support when an extraordinary change in circumstances is established.

That decision of the Arizona Court of Appeals was appealed to the Arizona Supreme Court.

The Arizona Supreme Court, which has the discretion to either reject or accept the case on appeal, chose to accept the appeal because the issues addressed in the case presented an issue of “statewide importance.”

The Ruling in Waldren vs. Waldren Confirmed Spousal Maintenance Can be Non-Modifiable

Non Modifiable Spousal Support in Arizona.

The Arizona Supreme Court began its’ analysis by stating a divorce judge only has the authority granted to the court by statute, according to the precedent outlined in the Weaver v. Weaver case.

The Arizona Supreme Court recognized that the spousal support law allows a trial judge to modify or terminate an award of spousal support if circumstances change substantially after the spousal support award was made.

However, the justices also pointed out that the spousal support statute allows the parties to agree that the spousal support provision in their divorce decree be non-modifiable, which was precisely what the parties did in their case.

Husband argued that the statute technically only indicated a court lacks the jurisdiction to “modify” an award of spousal support, which he contended was different from a court’s authority to “terminate” an award of spousal support.

Stated differently, Husband argued a court may not modify a non-modifiable award of spousal support, but it still retained the authority to “terminate” the award because the legislature chose to leave a trial court with the authority to “terminate” a non-modifiable spousal support award as evidenced by the legislature’s decision to not include the word “terminate” in the applicable statute.

The Arizona Supreme Court ruled that a “termination” of a spousal support award constitutes a “modification” of the divorce decree and, therefore, disagreed with Husband’s argument.

The justices also stated their decision helps to ensure finality, certainty, and a level of predictability in divorce settlements.

The Arizona Supreme Court also rejected Husband’s argument that the trial court had the “equitable” power to relieve him from his spousal support agreement because of the procedural rule that allows a divorce court to provide relief from a divorce decree when it is shown that prospective enforcement of the order is no longer equitable.

The Arizona Supreme Court found the ruled cited by Husband is a procedural rule and, further, that procedural rules are required to succumb to the clear language of and meaning of a statute.

In this case, the law allowing parties to make their spousal support provisions non-modifiable was controlling.

The Arizona Supreme Court, however, issued a fascinating footnote in its’ decision, in this case, indicating the Supreme Court was not addressing whether fraud or duress could provide a basis to set aside a non-modifiable award of spousal support.

As luck would have it, the Arizona Court of Appeals in the case of McNeil v. Hoskyns addressed the issue of whether an alleged fraud on the court provided a basis to modify or terminate a non-modifiable award of spousal support in Arizona.

You can click our link to the McNeil v. Hoskyns case here to learn how the Arizona Court of Appeals addressed that issue.

If you have questions about non-modifiable spousal support in Arizona, you should seriously consider contacting the attorneys at Hildebrand Law, PC. Our Arizona spousal maintenance and family law attorneys have decades of combined experience successfully representing clients in spousal maintenance and family law cases.

Our family law firm has earned numerous awards such as US News and World Reports Best Arizona Family Law Firm, US News and World Report Best Divorce Attorneys, “Best of the Valley” by Arizona Foothills readers, and “Best Arizona Divorce Law Firms” by North Scottsdale Magazine.

Call us today at (480)305-8300 or reach out to us through our appointment scheduling form to schedule your personalized consultation and turn your spousal maintenance or family law case around today.

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