Legal Question in Family Law in Lebanon

Dear Sir,

In reply to your query, please be advised that, unlike civil divorce, where you can divorce by agreement, in religious mirages, even though both parties agree to divorce, the ecclesiastic Court will not pronounce the divorce unless it founds grounds for that.

Now, that you have agreed on almost evert aspects of the divorce, thing would be easier, and the Catholic Court may take it into consideration.

Now back to her rights, and presuming that there is no agreement on the housing (the rent) the situation would have been as follows:

In principal, you will have to pay an alimony for your kid (not for her), that would include tuition, medical insurance, clothes, etc. As for the housing, you would have had the custody of the kid, if she was not able to provide him with a place to live, and therefore you would have taken the kid, and not paid any rent. Accordingly, if she is fighting for the custody, she has to provide the housing.

Now, that you are agreeing that she would have the custody, it is up to you to decide weather to pay her a housing or not. In principal, as already mentioned, she is not entitled to such an allowance; however, since she will be keeping the kid, you can agree on that point, providing that she would not get married again, and have her new husband living with her.