Divorce

Alimony, also called “spousal support and maintenance,” is financial support paid by one spouse to the other. If you request alimony, the judge will consider the following factors:

• the financial resources each of you have;
• how long you were married;
• the “standard of living” you and your spouse had while you were married, which might include things like what your expenses were and what kind of house you lived in;
• how old you and your spouse are;
• each spouse’s physical and emotional condition;
• any custody and child support responsibilities either of you have;
• any additional burdens either spouse takes on for the benefit of their children;
• the usual jobs each of you had during the marriage;
• the needs of both spouses;
• your vocational skills and employability;
• your ability to support yourself on your own;
• your spouse’s ability to meet his/her own financial needs while also meeting yours;
• any other factors that measure the financial situation that each of you would be in once the judge decides whether or not to grant alimony;
• the amount of time that you would likely need support;
• any money or property that was deliberately hidden from the judge by either spouse; and
• any history of violating a restraining order against the other spouse.¹

¹ Haw. Rev. Stat. § 580-47(a)