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Retroactive alimony modification not allowed in Georgia

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The Supreme Court of Georgia recently heard a case addressing the issue of retroactive alimony modification in Georgia. Branham v. Branham, S11A1896 (2012). In that case, under their divorce decree, the husband was required to pay periodic alimony to the wife for 120 months “unless and until Wife dies, remarries, or cohabitates with someone else in a meretricious relationship,” and the wife was required to pay the monthly mortgage on the marital home that she was awarded. Id. Both parties quickly fell behind on these obligations. Id. The husband filed a contempt action against the wife for failing to pay the mortgage and also filed a separate action to cease his alimony obligation, alleging that the wife was cohabitating with someone in a meretricious relationship. Id. The wife subsequently filed a contempt action against the husband for his failure to pay alimony. Id. The trial court heard all three actions together and found both parties in contempt. Id. at 2. In addition, the trial court denied the husband’s motion to cease his alimony obligation, but reduced his obligation for past due alimony to zero. Id.

The wife appealed, contending that the trial court erred by retroactively reducing the husband’s alimony obligation and the Supreme Court of Georgia agreed. Id. The Court quoting longstanding Georgia law in its holding: “Retroactive modification of an alimony obligation would vitiate the finality of the judgment obtained as to each past due installment…[A] judgment modifying an alimony obligation is effective no earlier than the date of the judgment.” Id. at 2-3, quoting Hendrix v. Stone, 261 Ga. 874, 875 (1992). In this case, the ruling that husband’s alimony be extinguished clearly violates this rule, as it modifies a past obligation (i.e. one that had already come due). Thus, the Supreme Court of Georgia reversed the ruling.

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