Opinion ID: 1685061
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: time period of alimony

Text: Bowers assigns, first, that the district court erred in terminating alimony in September 2001. Due to Scherbring's death on October 12, 2001, we limit our consideration of this assignment of error to whether Bowers should receive 1 additional month of alimony for October 2001. Bowers claims that because of her employment uncertainties, the district court should not have provided a termination date for alimony, but instead hold another hearing to gauge Bowers' employment situation after she graduated from school. At the time of the March 2001 hearing, Bowers was scheduled to graduate in May 2001. The court's September 2001 end date of alimony allowed Bowers 4 months beyond graduation in which to secure gainful employment. Bowers testified that she will receive payment for working toward her 3,000-hour requirement for full certification. In determining whether alimony should be awarded, in what amount, and over what period of time, the ultimate criterion is one of reasonableness. Bauerle v. Bauerle, 263 Neb. 881, 644 N.W.2d 128 (2002). We have reviewed the district court's alimony determination de novo on the record for an abuse of discretion. Given the evidence submitted, it was reasonable for the district court to expect Bowers to begin supporting herself after September 2001; therefore, the court did not abuse its discretion in setting September 2001 as the termination date of Scherbring's alimony payments. Bowers' first assignment of error is without merit.