Legal Question in Family Law in Massachusetts

Re: A Judges Consideration

I am assuming you have not adopted any of these children and none are yours biologically. Given that your wife works part-time and can work full-time, the amount of alimony you will have to pay should be limited.

I suggest you get an attorney if you are going to file for divorce. You should not be obligated for child support nor should you be obligated to support your mother-in-law.

Her children's father should be paying child support assuming he is still alive. If not, they should be getting social security benefits.

As to her grandchild, the father of that child should be paying child support.

I think you should contact an attorney ASAP.

Re: A Judges Consideration

This is not a set of questions that can be easily answered out of an office. However, I -can- say this: the divorce starts when it's filed, not when you decided that things were bad but stayed. The only issue is what your wife is due from you after eight years of marriage, unless of course you adopted her children (in which case they are YOURS and you owe support). Your wife will have to start looking for support from the children's father(s), your mother-in-law is on your own, and no, you get no particular sympathy from the judge for staying in a loveless, painful marriage under these facts.

Re: A Judges Consideration

The following items are what a judge must, by statute, consider:

the length of the marriage, the conduct of the parties during the marriage, the age, health, station, occupation, amount and sources of income, vocational skills, employability, estate, liabilities and needs of each of the parties and the opportunity of each for future acquisition of capital assets and income.

Retain an attorney to answer your questions more specifically and to file the Divorce Complaint from which the Court will determine the length of the marriage and terminate your payment of support for children who should be supported by their biological father(s), unless, of course, you legally adopted any or all of them.