Alimony and Divorce: What Now?

Questioner

I'm in the middle of a divorce. My wife cheated on me with another man. During this divorce, my wife refuses to admit or confirm that she's going to live with this man. I work 40 hours a month, and I only said 20. Now I have to pay €600 a month in alimony. Not only do I have a terrible feeling that I was cheated on, but I also have to pay for the rest of their new life. Is this allowed? And can you force a woman to work more? We have three children, the youngest of whom is 18 and will continue to live with me. It's unfair, then, for a woman to stay home, making it very difficult to buy a house (renting is even more expensive), and then having to say there's no money left for the children. Shouldn't my wife's new partner be included in her or their income in this case?

Questioner

It's unfortunate for you, but the reason for the divorce you mentioned is no longer relevant. You weren't misled before entering into the marriage. It depends on whether and how much you have to pay alimony, how long the marriage lasted, and how the responsibilities were divided. How old is your ex-spouse? After the age of 50 and a long, old-fashioned marriage, the legislator's view still holds true: job prospects are practically zero or very low, even after retraining. If your ex-wife lives together or is in a relationship that amounts to that (sleeping over each other on vacation, actually spending more days than the weekend together each week) you may have a point to reduce alimony.