Singer Christina Aguilera filed for divorce from her husband Jordan Bratman, a music executive, on October 14. The court papers confirm that the couple had a prenuptial agreement and that Aguilera has requested that Bratman be barred from receiving spousal support.

Celebrity divorces are sometimes instructive simply for the spotlight they place on relevant family law matters. Spousal support, for example - also referred to sometimes as alimony or spousal maintenance - is a concept not as well understood by many people as is child custody. In Aguilera's case, industry insiders were openly discussing the topic of spousal support in Aguilera's divorce, and the high degree of likelihood that she would make a judicial request to enjoin her soon-to-be ex from receiving it.

In Missouri, as in most other states, alimony/spousal support - unlike child support - is a matter in which a court has broad discretion. Child support is based on specific monetary guidelines, whereas a judge has wide latitude in determining whether or not to award alimony, in what amount and for how long.

A Missouri court will consider some or all of the following factors in its contemplation of alimony:

  • Length of the marriage
  • Age of the spouses
  • Respective health of the spouses
  • Standard of living during the marriage
  • Monetary contribution to the marriage of the parties
  • Employment situation of each party and future income potential
  • Conduct of the spouses during the marriage (fault in the marriage)

Because spousal support calculations are not permanently etched and are capable of judicial deviation and modification based on changing circumstances, a party with alimony concerns or questions should contact a family law attorney with substantial experience in spousal maintenance matters.

Related Resource: www.examiner.com "Christina Aguilera files divorce papers, refusing spousal support" October 14, 2010