Opinion ID: 2320264
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Limiting the Spousal Support to a Term of Ten Years

Text: [¶ 9] Ella contends that the court erred in limiting the spousal support to a term of ten years because the term was premised on nothing more than speculation about her ability to become self-supporting within that period. [¶ 10] The primary purpose of general spousal support is to provide financial assistance to a spouse with substantially less income potential than the other spouse so that both spouses can maintain a reasonable standard of living after the divorce. 19-A M.R.S. § 951-A(2)(A) (2005). The spousal support statute does not establish a rebuttable presumption regarding the duration of general spousal support in cases involving parties who have been married for more than twenty years as of the date of the filing of the divorce action, as it does for marriages of twenty years or less in duration. Id. [1] [¶ 11] Based on the evidence in the record, the court did not err in concluding that Ella could become self-supporting in ten years. Unlike Cole v. Cole, 561 A.2d 1018, 1021 (Me.1989), in which we invalidated a support award limited to ten years when the spouse had not had the opportunity for the development of marketable employment skills, in the present case, Ella has two marketable skills as both a trained CNA and cosmetologist. At trial, Ella did not contend that she will be unable to respond to the eventual reduction in amount and ultimate termination of spousal support by working more hours as a CNA or cosmetologist, and she conceded that her medical condition, which she has suffered for fifteen years, is controlled with medication. Over time, the parties' nine-year-old daughter will require less care and it is not unreasonably speculative to anticipate that Ella will be able to increase her work hours accordingly. [2] See Raisen v. Raisen, 2006 ME 49, ¶¶ 3, 8, 896 A.2d 268, 270 (affirming a spousal support award limited to five years to a parent with the primary residential care of a child with special needs where the record supported the finding that the parent could become self-supporting within that period). [¶ 12] The ten-year spousal support term was premised on the court's evaluation of Ella's ability . . . to become self-supporting within a reasonable period of time, 19-A M.R.S. § 951-A(5)(O) (2005), and was well within the bounds of its discretion.