For individuals who were financially dependent during a marriage, alimony can be a consideration. Alimony involves the financially dominant spouse paying support to their ex-partner for a certain period post-divorce.
According to WomensLaw.org: “Your spouse can be ordered to pay you alimony if the judge finds that you were financially dependent on your spouse during the marriage (‘the dependent party’).”
In their situation, Eileen was required to provide alimony to Mike for five years following their divorce. Neither Eileen nor the judge anticipated that Mike would become a multimillionaire just five months later.
In 2019, Mike won an impressive $273 million in the Mega Millions lottery.
Following his windfall, Eileen spoke to Inside Edition about her ongoing alimony payments despite Mike’s newfound wealth.
“To him, [the alimony] is pocket change at this point,” Eileen remarked.
“Think about the amount of money that he has just won. What I’m paying him is a pittance.”
Eileen naturally expressed her wish to cease the alimony payments.
She clarified, “I don’t want anyone to misconstrue that I’m coming after him,” emphasizing she had no interest in his lottery winnings.
Clips of Eileen’s Inside Edition interview continue to circulate on social media, prompting widespread discussion on the topic.
Reflecting on Mike’s lottery win and his alimony payments, a commenter noted, “He won twice!”
Some people suggested it would be considerate for Mike to share some of his winnings with Eileen, given her years of support.
“It would be a nice idea to gift her a little $$ money to make her life a little easier,” one person commented.
“She did support him throughout the marriage,” they continued.
“I’d still give her a few mil for supporting him all those years and move on,” another person concurred.
What are your thoughts on the situation?