Singapore – A couple found themselves in court over a disagreement regarding the amount of alimony to be paid by the ex-husband. While the ex-wife appealed that S$6,500 is necessary for monthly expenses, the ex-husband said that S$940 was appropriate.
The woman, who used to be a flight attendant, came from a wealthy family, reported Chinese newspaper Shin Min Daily News on Thursday (May 6). Her father is said to be a multimillionaire with over S$3 million in assets.
Meanwhile, the ex-husband is a lawyer, supposedly from a low-income family. It was reported that the man had to pay off his tuition loans while taking the bar exam for his lawyer’s license.
Before the couple got married in 2016, the ex-wife helped her ex-husband pay off the loans. She also covered all their wedding expenses, reported Shin Min.
Despite becoming a partner at a law firm with a monthly salary of S$15,000, the ex-husband still had about S$9,000 of debt to pay every month.
After their marriage fell apart a few years later, the woman returned to her father’s residence together with their twins.
She then asked for alimony from her ex-husband. Initially, the man paid her S$1,500 monthly in alimony while they processed their divorce a year later.
The woman received payments for six months but the payments stopped for five months before resuming in Dec 2019, reported Shin Min.
To make up for the missing payments, the woman then requested her ex-husband to pay S$6,500 a month.
The judge rejected her request, but she appealed the decision, noting that the monthly expenses for their children amounted to S$10,000 a month. This includes private school fees, residence fees, transportation costs and payment to their domestic helper.
However, the man explained that he had no knowledge of the children being enrolled in a private school and only found out during the divorce proceedings.
He noted that he did not have the means to pay for their expensive education. He added that an appropriate amount for the alimony was S$940.
In response, the woman claimed that he initially signed the divorce agreement in 2018, promising to pay at least S$3,900 a month.
The man said he only proposed such an amount in an attempt to save their marriage but had no means to pay such an amount back then.
Furthermore, the ex-wife explained that her father had billed her S$3,200 for rent and she wishes to move out of his residence. She added that 10 people were living in her father’s mansion, which was not an ideal living arrangement.
The man suggested she move back to their marital home, but the woman declined the offer. He also doubted the authenticity of the bill indicating the S$3,200 rent.
According to Shin Min, the man had to support his parents and disabled brother financially, pay off his loan amounting to S$2,000 a month and pay the lease for his Mercedes Benz.
While the ex-wife highlighted that the luxury car was an unnecessary expense, the man claimed he needed a vehicle that could accommodate booster seats for kids./TISG
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