In the State of Connecticut, many times after a couple divorces, the man or woman is responsible for payment of certain monies to their ex-spouse due to court orders to maintain the lesser earning spouse’s way of life, alimony. During the years of payments made by the higher earning party, the lives of both parties move forward and adjust to the newly single life they now find themselves in. At times, the lesser earning party meets someone new and, in time, allows that person to move in with them. They allow that person to move in with them for several reasons, (1) They have been dating long enough that they feel it is time to move to the next level and (2) They feel comfortable enough to ask that person to move in with them to assist them with paying the monthly bills (Electric Bill, Telephone Bill, Property Taxes, etc.). When happens then is that the lesser earning person, who now has another person living with them, relieving them of paying all of their normal bills on their own which the higher earning person paying alimony is still paying for, is now in violation of the initial court ordered alimony amount being paid to them. However, most times, the lesser earning person, now receiving a new flux of income assistance, does not notify the court to have their alimony modified to a lower amount as they now have a larger amount of disposable income in their pockets. That works great for them until the higher earning person finds out about the new living condition. That new living condition where there is a new person living with the lesser earning person is called cohabitation.
Now, prior to conducting your investigation you may want to consult with an attorney to determine if your alimony can be reduced or eliminated if your ex-spouse can be proven to be cohabitating for a prolonged period of time. In some states, See Connecticut Laws Regarding Cohabitation, if an ex-spouse is found to be living with someone over a 90 day period, they may qualify for a reduction or elimination of alimony. The attorney handling your file will have to petition the courts for that action to happen. Now, the court, nor your attorney will obtain the evidence that you need in order for you to make your case, that is where our CT Private Investigators come into play. Most times, it isn’t to difficult to prove to the courts as it is not based on beyond a reasonable doubt, but most times, the standard is a preponderance of the evidence, meaning that if you prove that it is more likely than not that co-habitation is occurring then you have proven your case.
Proving your case, once you decide to hire R C Ranno Investigative Services, will not be easy. Once we assign a CT Private Investigator to your case, that investigator will conduct a surveillance for a period of four to six days, attempting to obtain video of the third party’s vehicle in your ex-spouse’s driveway at night, late enough to determine that they will most likely be spending the night and then early in the morning to videotape their vehicle showing that they will be waking up there also. Our Detective will continue surveillance during that morning to attempt to obtain video of the third party departing from the residence in that vehicle to prove that the vehicle was not just parked at that address. Our Investigators will then reverse the license plate of that vehicle to determine if it is registered at your ex-spouse’s residence, check mail to see if the third party is receiving mail at that address and run a utility bills search to determine if the third party has any utilities in their name at your ex-spouse’s residence.
Obtaining the right evidence during the initial investigation will be important because you will only have one attempt in court to prove your case. If you fail to prove your case because you did not obtain enough evidence then you taint your credibility with the court and the chance of the judge ruling in your favor becomes less likely. Hiring a CT Investigative Agency with knowledge and experience in these cases is important in you winning your case. R C Ranno Investigative Services is that agency.
Depending on the information or evidence you may have collected prior to hiring our CT Detective Agency, your investigation may take anywhere from one week to ninety days. You have to determine that the cohabitator has been living at your ex-spouse’s residence for a period of ninety days. Remember that the small amount you may spend in the investigative process will be multiplied in the savings you will receive by the modification of the alimony ruling.
