The Family Mediation Blog: December 2018

The Alimony Reform Act: Lessons Learned in the Last Six Years

The Alimony Reform Act: Lessons Learned in the Last Six Years

The Alimony Reform Act of 2011 defined what alimony is and how it should work in much greater detail than the prior law. The Alimony Reform Act, 2011 Mass. Acts ch. 124. However, it also left many questions unanswered. In the six years since the Act became effective, on March 1, 2012, the courts have slowly been further clarifying, and in some cases arguably undercutting, the Act. In this article, we will summarize the provisions of the Act and note the court cases that have affected the language of those sections.

Alimony: What is it?

Alimony is defined in the Act as '…