Many years ago, the supervisor for Family Relations in Hartford, came up with sort of a formula for deciding how long someone should get alimony, how much or how long alimony should be paid. Part of that formula was half the length of the marriage. For many years after, this formula was presumed to be in statute and supported by case law. It wasn’t until the state Appellate Court ruled that judges do not have to abide by this artificial criterion when deciding alimony cases. The Appellate Court said that the alimony decision had to be case specific and relevant to the parties involved.
