Financial support is not just for divorced spouses. If a domestic partnership ends, a judge may decide to award partner support.
As with spousal support, there are a number of factors involved with deciding to grant support, the amount of support and how long the support will last.
Types of support available
According to the California Courts, a domestic partner can seek support by requesting it from a judge, and a court case will occur. If the judge grants partner support while the case is going on, it is temporary support. The judge decides long-term or permanent partner support at the finalization of the separation.
Factors the judge considers to award support
When deciding whether to grant temporary or permanent support, the judge examines the standard of living the partner enjoyed while in the relationship as well as the earning capacity of the partner. The judge considers the marketable skills of the partner seeking support as well as if there is a market for those skills.
If the partner does not have marketable skills, the judge will consider what it would take to receive the skills necessary to earn a standard of living. If the partner seeking support took time out of his or her career to take care of the children or house, the judge considers what impact that had on earning capacity.
Duration of partner support
Various factors also determine how long the support will last. For domestic partnerships that lasted 10 or more years, there may not be an end date to the support, and it would only end if either partner dies or the one receiving support marries or enters into another domestic relationship.
If the relationship was shorter than 10 years, a judge typically orders support to end after one-half of the duration of the relationship.
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