The Massachusetts Appeals Court released a decision on December 30, 2014,   Vedensky v. Vedensky  (13-P-1392), deciding numerous issues related to the determination of alimony on a modification.  The Appeals Court upheld most of the lower court's decision except on one issue, including the payor's second job income, which caused the award to be remanded to the lower court.  This continues a trend in recent alimony cases for the Appeals Court and SJC to look very closely at awards of alimony under the still relatively new Alimony Reform Act . In Vedensky, the wife and husband entered into a Separation Agreement in 2007 that included the husband paying child support to the wife and no present alimony, but the issue of future alimony was left modifiable.  After suffering from psychological disabilities that affected his ability to work, the husband sought a reduction of his child support in 2009 on a Complaint for Modification, which obligation was terminated i...

A colleague shared with us her idea for writing a book on divorce comprised of actual letters written by ex-spouses to their former partners.  Recently one such letter went viral and another colleague of ours pointed out the wisdom that could be gained from this type of correspondence . We think this type of a collection has great potential for informing both divorcing spouses and the professionals that assist them, and we want to support Vicki Shemin, J.D., LICSW, ACSW, of the Boston Law Collaborative , in her efforts.  If you are divorced, or know someone who is, please consider responding to the below inquiry or passing it on to those who may be interested: “…AND I JUST WANTED YOU TO KNOW” Dear Prospective Book Participant: I write to invite you to participate in a unique educational opportunity.  I am writing a book that will be a collection of actual letters to ex-spouses from individuals such as yourself.  These are not necessarily copies of letters t...