Who owes who?

Cathy Ortiz, a secretary in Fairhaven whose husband is out of work, was ordered in 2007 to make alimony payments from her own paycheck to his ex-wife - who has a full-time job with benefits. The husband, Ernest Ortiz, is suing the state, arguing that these laws are unconstitutional. Oral arguments were heard yesterday in Appeals Court.

- In the Boston Globe

The courts not adjusting child support or alimony based on chang in employment status is nothing new. It is rather ironic that new-wife(-with-unemployed-husband) is now forced to pay old-(and-employed)-wife alimony) though.

As the article notes, laws on the book like these do make people more likely to avoid marriage.