A financial advisor from Plymouth has been sentenced to eight years in jail after stealing 4.5 million from his clients. Stephen Clifford, 58, used the funds from 24 investors to pay for personal items likealimony, credit card bills, mortgage, and his daughter's college tuition. In addition to jail time he has also been ordered to repay the entire amount to his former clients.

Prosecutors for his case followed charges of abuse from his investors that led to their conviction for federal fraud and tax charges. Clifford had also failed to report $2.1 million in investors funds on his tax reports from 2004 to 2006, money that he actually used for personal use. He is also in jail for a state rape conviction.

If a member of your family is affecting your financial statements negatively, it is time to enlist a Riverside family law attorney. Don't attempt to rectify these charges yourself, take legal advice from someone who has helped people just like you by contacting the Law Office of Michael Young today!

Eileen Buckley was once married to a man that did not work, even though he possessed a master's of business administration degree from MIT.  Buckley claims it is a degree that she helped finance and said, "I figured out he worked seven years out of the 28 we were married."  In January 2009, Buckley divorced her husband who claimed to be a stay-at-home dad.  Yet, Buckley asserts that even before the couple's son was born, her husband was unemployed.

Once their divorce was final, her husband got half of their marital assets, including their home.  She was also ordered to pay her husband monthly spousal support of $2,000.  Interestingly, the couple's son is autistic and Buckley has full financial responsibility.

She told a news reporter, "The thing that really angers me is that I have a disabled child and the money I pay my former husband could be used for Danny."  She also says that she will have to take out loans to finance her child's college and feels the situation is quite unfair.

Brain Sullivan, her former husband, agrees that their arrangement is not fair.  In fact, he says, "I think she should be paying me more… I was a stay-at-home dad with a son that has autism."

For the time being, it appears the couple will continue to battle it out.

Does this situation sound familiar?  If so, now is the time to get help from a Riverside family lawyer by contacting the Law Office of Michael R. Young.

After independent spouses have been making spousal support payments for some time, they often wonder if they can get their "permanent" payments modified.  The truth is, in some cases, people can get their payments modified or even terminated.  The only exception to this is when there is a written or in-court oral agreement where parties have stated that spousal support cannot be modified at any time.

In California, the court retains continuing spousal support jurisdiction and has the ability to modify or terminate alimony at a later time.  If independent spouses can prove to the court that there has been a material change of circumstance, the court may agree to change their payments. 

Generally, the court will consider the following when presented with a modification request:

§  reducing the amount of the support if the dependent spouse can be self-supporting

§  modification based upon the ability to pay spousal support

§  reducing spousal support due to obligations

§  modifying support due to remarriage, cohabitation or retirement

If you would like to learn more about spousal support modification or termination, contact our legal team to speak with a Riverside family law attorney today. 

Here’s an interesting story out of Utah:

The Utah Supreme Court recently ruled that a divorceé has the right to sue her ex-husband for financial reimbursement after she financially supported him through college in exchange for a higher standard of living.

The case that was brought to the high court’s attention involves Gloria and Dallen Ashby, who married in 1997. Gloria claims she gave up a lucrative business opportunity in Utah when she agreed to move to St. Louis with her husband while he attended medical school. Gloria’s job as an interior designer was the couple’s main source of income while Dallen was in medical school. Gloria said she agreed to this arrangement because Dallen promised to support her with the high income he expected to earn with his medical degree.

When the couple divorced a year later, Dallen was a first-year intern, obviously not making the same level of income he will make as an established doctor. Because Gloria was not able to enjoy Dallen’s income as a doctor, she claims he breached his promise to support her. 

The court sided with Gloria, saying the breach was valid and enforceable.

What does this mean for the rest of Utah? It means that any time a person supports their spouse as he or she goes through school, that person has the right to sue their spouse for any money they invested into their spouse during the marriage, but only if they did not have a chance to benefit from the income the spouse earned with his or her degree or education. This money is considered separate from the money awarded for alimony.

If you have found yourself in a similar situation to the Ashby’s, Riverside divorce attorney Michael R. Young can help you try to get back the money you invested into your spouse's education. Interested in learning more? Contact the Law Office of Michael R. Young today to arrange a consultation.

During a divorce one spouse might be ordered to make financial support payments to the other spouse, referred to as alimony or spousal support. There are several different alimony arrangements that can be applied, including:

Temporary Alimony: This type of support is paid while the couple is separated and throughout the divorce, but stops once the divorce has been finalized.

Permanent Alimony: Unlike temporary alimony, permanent alimony is awarded at the conclusion of a divorce, which is to be paid for a length of time specified by the court.  In most cases, permanent alimony is paid indefinitely or until the spouse receiving support remarries or either spouse passes away. It is typically paid in monthly installments or on some type of reoccurring basis. 

Rehabilitative Alimony: This type of alimony is usually only paid for a fixed period of time while the spouse receiving alimony searches for a job or pursues education in order to gain the skills necessary to get a job.

Reimbursement Alimony: When one spouse paid for the other spouse’s higher education or job training, the spouse who received the training or education reimburses the other spouse for full or partial tuition through reimbursement alimony.

Lump-Sum Alimony: Should one spouse decide they do not want any property or joint assets, they can elect to receive a lump-sum payment that is equal to what the value of the property they would have received.

If you have any questions about alimony or how spousal support is paid in California, please do not hesitate to contact the Law Office of Michael R. Young today. Riverside divorce lawyer Michael Young has extensive practice in California divorce law, and can provide you with the experienced representation you need during the divorce proceedings. To schedule a consultation with Mr. Young, please fill out a free case evaluation or simply contact the office by calling (866) 902-5290.

After a divorce, an individual who was ordered to pay spousal support can seek to modify the spousal support arrangement under certain circumstances.  Generally, the individual will need to prove there has been a significant change in circumstances that warrants the change. This might include an unexpected job loss, a sudden illness, a medical emergency, etc.  Although the court may not terminate the individual’s obligation to pay spousal support, the judge can reduce the amount of support that is paid to reflect the individual’s new situation.

In addition, there are also cases in which an individual can get his or her spousal support obligations terminated.  For example, if the other spouse gets remarried, the spouse ordered to pay support will no longer be obligated to continue making payments.

On the flip side, the spouse receiving support can ask for a modification as well.  However, in order to successfully modify the order, he or she will need to give the judge a legitimate reason as to why he or she deserves more money.