Circumstances and financial conditions change over time which can lead to a shift in alimony obligations. Unfortunately, these changes are not always reported, leading to unnecessary high financial burdens for the payer.

If you are making court-ordered alimony payments to your ex-spouse and believe that there is good reason to have those payments lowered or eliminated, you should consider starting a spousal maintenance or alimony investigation to gather the evidence you need to lower your payments.

Likewise, if you are collecting alimony payments from your former spouse and believe you are entitled to receive more money than you are currently, Justice may be able to help you get the evidence you need to make your case.

What is a Spousal Maintenance or Alimony Investigation?

The purpose of a spousal maintenance or alimony investigation is to gather evidence of a change in the circumstances of one or both parties to a divorce with the purpose or raising, lowering, or eliminating payments of one party to another.

Alimony – also known as “spousal support” or “spousal maintenance” – is a court-ordered payment of money to be made by one spouse to his or her former spouse, for the receiving spouse’s maintenance. Depending on the jurisdiction, the amount of alimony is determined based on a variety of financial factors, such as:

• Total length of the marriage
• Income of each of the parties
• Standard of living enjoyed by the parties during the course of the marriage
• Need of a party for spousal support
• Ability of a party to pay spousal support
• Education level and employability of the party seeking support
• Relative contributions made to the joint estate by each of the parties

These factors often change over time, however, resulting in one party returning to court to have the alimony payment amount modified. Reasons that a court may modify an alimony award include (but are not limited to):

Action Brought by Paying Spouse (Lowering Payment)

• Cohabitation of receiving spouse
• New or higher-paying employment by receiving spouse
• Financial windfall to receiving spouse
• Paying spouse’s inability to work due to disability
• Financial emergency or other financial loss to paying spouse
• New support obligation for paying spouse (such as new spousal or child support obligations)
• Cost of living decrease to receiving spouse
• Change in alimony laws

Action Brought by Receiving Spouse (Raising Payment)

• Receiving spouse’s loss of employment or lower-paying job
• Receiving spouse’s inability to work due to disability
• Financial emergency or other financial loss to receiving spouse
• Cost of living increase for receiving spouse
• New or higher-paying job by paying spouse
• Financial windfall to paying spouse
• Cost of living decrease for paying spouse
• Change in alimony laws

In order to prevail in court, however, the moving party must be able to prove (with admissible evidence) the changes upon which the modification request is based. Collecting such proof is where the services of a private investigator can be indispensible.

Who Are Spousal Maintenance or Alimony Modification Investigations For?

Any party (alimony paying or alimony receiving) with a legitimate claim for modification of the amount of alimony payments may start an investigation.

Starting a Spousal Maintenance or Alimony Investigation

Hiring a private investigator for a Spousal Maintenance or Alimony Investigation through Justice is quick and simple. Here’s how it works:

1. Request a Consultation: Submit your case online or by phone to schedule your consultation. We’ll ask for the details we need to get your case matched with an investigator and provide a cost estimate for your case.

2. Consult With a Private Investigator: A licensed private investigator will contact you to talk to you about the purpose and goals of the investigation, and to collect any relevant information about your case.

3. Investigation in Progress: In this type of case, your investigator will use techniques like:

• Database and public records searches
• Video and photographic surveillance
• Cohabitation investigations
• Identity verifications
• Locate investigations and skip tracing

4. Case Updates & Final Report: Your investigator will update you on the case’s progress in real-time. Once work has completed, they’ll give you a full report detailing their findings and any evidence they collected. In addition, your private investigator may be available to testify on your behalf in court, if necessary and agreed-upon before the start of the investigation.

What Investigators Will Not Do

Investigators will always act lawfully and ethically in conducting their work. To ensure that any evidence collected is usable in a legal setting, they will not trespass on property or access personal information and records improperly. However, private investigators will pursue all legal means possible to gather the necessary evidence.