Enforcement of Alimony/Spousal Support Orders in Hawaii

When married couples get divorced, one of the spouses is often left at a significant financial disadvantage, especially if he or she was not the family's primary income source.  In these cases courts will order, as part of the divorce proceedings, the other spouse to pay alimony, which is also called spousal support and maintenance.  Although the court may consider anything it finds relevant, Section 580-47 of the Hawaii Revised Statues lists 13 factors for the court to consider.  These factors include: the age of the parties and their relative financial situations; how long the marriage lasted; the standard of living the couple had established; the vocational skills each spouse possesses; the parties' needs; the custodial and child support responsibilities; and how long the dependent party might need the support.  These factors help ensure that the process for determining the amount of support is thorough and that a spouse is not ordered to pay alimony that he or she cannot afford.  However, many still fail to pay the ordered payments. 

If you have been awarded alimony and your ex-spouse has stopped making payments, you have several options.  If you receive the spousal support in conjunction with child support, both state and federal law provide several remedies and methods to aid in collecting the payments.  Please see our child support page and these frequently asked questions for more information on collecting unpaid child support payments.  Many of the remedies available for collecting unpaid child support, such as income garnishment and property liens, are available for collecting unpaid alimony.

We Have a Proven Track Record for Obtaining Results

At the Law Office of Thomas D. Collins, we utilize experienced investigators to locate a non-paying ex-spouse.  We aggressively seek to enforce any available legal avenues that will encourage the delinquent spouse to make the payments or face serious legal consequences. 

Importantly, our expertise comes at no up-front cost to you.  When we collect the unpaid alimony, we also collect interest and attorney's fees.  This means that you can get the assistance you need without facing further financial difficulty.  If you are owed alimony, the Law Office of Thomas D. Collins can help.  For a free consultation about your case, contact us today so that we can put our expertise to work for you.