Welcome back to Divorce at Altitude with Ryan Kalamaya and Amy Goscha. This week, Ryan and Amy unpack Colorado’s evolving spousal maintenance (alimony) landscape—specifically how coercive control, domestic violence, and litigation abuse now factor into maintenance decisions under §14-10-114. They lay the groundwork for when maintenance is considered, how the advisory guideline interacts with income, duration, and tax changes, and what judges are being asked to weigh beyond the traditional factors.

Episode Highlights

Maintenance 101
• When spousal maintenance is on the table after property division
• How Colorado’s advisory guideline works (income, duration, caps)

New DV/Coercive Control Factor
• How emotional/financial abuse, coercive control, and protection orders can affect awards
• Why courts may look at access to money, debt in one party’s name, and “litigation abuse”

Practice & Proof
• Evidence that helps: texts, photos, financial records, counseling history
• The credibility challenge in DV cases—and why expert testimony can matter

Judicial Reality & Open Questions
• How judges may balance lifestyle history with abuse factors
• Potential impacts on modifications and on payor/payee outcomes

Key Takeaways
• Maintenance decisions remain case-specific—now with explicit attention to abuse and control.
• Early, thorough evidence gathering is crucial.
• DV/coercive control issues may change whether maintenance is awarded, the amount, or duration.

What is Divorce at Altitude?

Ryan Kalamaya and Amy Goscha provide tips and recommendations on issues related to divorce, separation, and co-parenting in Colorado. Ryan and Amy are the founding partners of an innovative and ambitious law firm, Kalamaya | Goscha, that pushes the boundaries to discover new frontiers in family law, personal injuries, and criminal defense in Colorado.

To subscribe to Divorce at Altitude, click here and select your favorite podcast player. To subscribe to Kalamaya | Goscha's YouTube channel where many of the episodes will be posted as videos, click here. If you have additional questions or would like to speak to one of our attorneys, give us a call at 970-429-5784 or email us at [email protected].

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DISCLAIMER: THE COMMENTARY AND OPINIONS ON THIS PODCAST IS FOR ENTERTAINMENT AND INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES AND NOT FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING LEGAL ADVICE. CONTACT AN ATTORNEY IN YOUR STATE OR AREA TO OBTAIN LEGAL ADVICE ON ANY OF THESE ISSUES.