Maine

Marriage & Family Law Home

In the state of Maine, following a divorce the court may grant spousal support to either spouse for a limited or indefinite amount of time after the order has been made. Spousal support is otherwise known as alimony. Alimony payments are dependent on several factors.

Some factors that may change the court’s decision in amount, length, or requirement of alimony payments include, but are not limited to, are: the length the marriage, the age and physical and mental health of both parties, the division of the property made during the process of the divorce, and the earning abilit ....... Click here to get more info on Alimony

The party with higher annual income has an obligation to pay the other party the lower of:

• The difference between calculated parental support obligations



• The parental support obligation determined for the payor party using the basic support entitlement under the support guidelines as though the other party provided primary residential care of the child.

Breakdown of the parental support obligation, including:

• The amoun ....... Click here to get more info on Child Support

If any of the parents request shared primary residential care and the court does not grant shared primary residential care, the court will state the reasons why such a decision is not in the best interests of the child.

The following factors may be considered in the case of custody:

• Conditions of parent-child contact in cases involving domestic abuse



• A provision for child support as provided in subsection 8 or a statement of the reasons for not ordering child support



• A ....... Click here to get more info on Custody

To be eligible to file for divorce in the state of Maine, the spouse is required to be a resident for a minimum of six months. ....... Click here to get more info on Divorce

In Maine, a biological parent of a minor child may request visitation rights as part of an open divorce, parentage or custody case. A parent seeking visitation may also file a petition for visitation if none of these circumstances apply.

The court will decide a request for visitation based on whether granting a parent visitation would be in the "best interests of the child."

What is considered in a child's "best interests" include: the health and well-being of the child; parental and child preferences as to visitation; the age of the child and the prospects that ....... Click here to get more info on Visitation

Under Maine law, marital property is that which is acquired or is a direct result of the labor and investments of the parties during the marriage is subject to equitable division. ....... Click here to get more info on Property Division