Walmart Heiress’ Spouse Seeking Hundreds of Thousands in Alimony
The former spouse of Walmart heiress, Paige Laurie, has filed a lawsuit seeking $400,000 per month in alimony in their contentious divorce. The couple, married in secret six years ago, did have Ms. Laurie’s former spouse, Patrick Dubbert, sign a premarital agreement before the ceremony. But now, he claims that the $400,000 per month is necessary in order to pay for the “necessities” of the lavish lifestyle that he had become accustomed to.
Alimony Necessities
Mr. Dubbert’s claimed “necessities” cover a wide range of goods and services, including a personal stylist, expensive vacations, a multi-million dollar home and upkeep, and a chauffeur. The prenuptial agreement signed by Mr. Dubbert did provide for spousal support in the case of divorce. Currently, he is receiving $30,000 per month over the course of three years, which is half of the time that the couple was married. He claims that this is not nearly enough because he was used to the lavish lifestyle that he and the heiress used to live.
In his filings, Mr. Dubbert claims that Ms. Laurie is more than able to pay him $400,000 per month in alimony because she receives almost $875,000 per month from her holdings in the Walmart brand. He has claimed that he needs the increased alimony payments to “get back on his feet” and to cover the following monthly necessities:
- Rental home ($40,000 – $60,000 per month)
- Personal chef ($6,700 per month)
- Personal trainer ($2,500 per month)
- Personal stylist ($1,000 per month)
- Vacations ($30,000 per month, plus use of private jet)
- Clothes ($5,000 per month)
- Charitable donations ($2,500 per month)
- Furniture ($10,000 per month)
- Entertainment ($80,000 per month)
- Chauffeur ($4,000 per month
- Other “necessities”
It should be noted that the alimony amount requested by Mr. Dubbert is pre-tax, and the amount that he would receive after-tax is about $200,000. He also claims that part of the reason why he needs more in alimony payments is that he previously worked for the Walmart Corporation and needs time to find new employment. However, the main reason why he is asking for more in alimony is because he is no longer living the lavish lifestyle that he did when married to Ms. Laurie.
Florida Alimony Law
Under the Florida State Code, the purpose of alimony is to provide financial assistance to the spouse making less money during and after a divorce. There must be a need of assistance on the part of the receiving spouse and an ability to pay on the part of the giving spouse. Section 61.08 of Florida law dictates when, how, and for what time period alimony should be allocated to the other spouse. It also lists the factors to be considered when making a determination of alimony during a divorce.
Call a Florida Family Law Attorney
If you or someone that you know has questions regarding alimony payments in the Orlando area, let the experienced office of Steve W. Marsee, P.A. help. Call the office or contact us today for a private and free review of your case.
