If you are making alimony payments from a past divorce, your legal obligation will generally end when your ex-spouse remarries. However, a court may also suspend your required payments if your ex begins living with another person in a romantic relationship. Before you can request a review of your alimony agreement, however, you must have concrete proof of your ex-spouse’s living situation.
Cohabitation and Alimony Payments
In both North Carolina and South Carolina, cohabitation is a valid reason for a court to suspend alimony payments. However, some people seek to take advantage of the system by hiding the fact of their cohabitation while continuing to collect alimony checks. If you suspect your ex-spouse is doing this, you must gather proof to take to court.
According to South Carolina law, you may request a review of your alimony obligation if your ex meets the cohabitation requirements: living with another person in a romantic relationship for at least 90 consecutive days.
The North Carolina law is similar; cohabitation occurs when two adults in a romantic relationship live together, share expenses, and do not maintain separate homes. Proof of sexual relations may not be required to prove cohabitation. Likewise, if your ex-spouse is in a sexual relationship but not living together with that person, it does not count as cohabitation.
The Importance of Proving Cohabitation
Even if you have good reason to suspect that your ex is cohabiting while still collecting your alimony payments, you need to gather conclusive proof. Evidence of cohabitation may include the following:
- Photos or videos of a marriage-like relationship where both people live in the same house
- Proof that both people get mail at the same address
- Evidence of both people taking vacations together
Gathering this type of proof requires a good amount of time and effort. In most cases, hiring a private investigator will get you the evidence you need much faster than trying to obtain it yourself.
Reasons To Hire a Private Investigator
It may seem like paying a private investigator to prove that your ex is cohabiting is an unnecessary expense. You may think about trying to surveil him or her to get photo or video evidence. However, this can be a challenging task, and the last thing you want to do is get caught and prosecuted for stalking.
Proving cohabitation can require a significant investment of time and resources, especially in South Carolina where you must prove that your ex has been living with his or her partner for at least three months. It’s far more affordable and efficient to hire a professional to gather the evidence for you. A private investigator has the experience and tools to obtain the proof you need, and you won’t need to spend time following your ex around and observing his or her in a new relationship.
Global Investigative Services Will Work To Uncover the Truth
If you suspect that your ex-spouse has entered a cohabiting relationship, you may request a review of your alimony order as soon as you have conclusive proof. At Global Investigative Services, we can examine and document your ex’s behavior using a variety of techniques. When you hire us, you can count on numerous exclusive advantages:
- We provide coverage of both North Carolina and South Carolina
- We utilize top-of-the-line technology, including covert cameras, design for modern surveillance challenges
- Our investigators are former law enforcement officers with decades of experience
- We comply with all relevant state and federal surveillance laws to obtain legally admissible evidence
The last thing you want to do is continue making unnecessary alimony payments to an ex-spouse who is living together with a new romantic partner. If you’re ready to find the truth, contact GIS to learn more about how we conduct alimony investigations. You can give us a call or use our online contact form.
