Legal Definitions - support

In legal terms, support refers to the financial or material provisions one person provides to another to ensure their sustenance and maintenance, allowing them to live at a standard of comfort to which they are accustomed or are entitled.

Here are some examples to illustrate this concept:

• Child Support Payments: After a divorce, a court might order one parent to pay child support to the other. These payments are intended to cover a child's essential needs and contribute to their overall well-being. For instance, the payments might help cover the costs of the child's housing, food, clothing, medical care, school supplies, and extracurricular activities like sports or music lessons. The goal is to ensure the child continues to enjoy a reasonable standard of living, similar to what they would have experienced if their parents had remained together.

  This illustrates support because the payments are specifically designated to provide for the child's daily necessities and maintain their accustomed lifestyle, rather than being a general gift or loan.

• Spousal Support (Alimony): In some divorce cases, one spouse may be ordered to pay spousal support (often called alimony) to the other for a period of time. This financial assistance helps the receiving spouse maintain a standard of living comparable to what they enjoyed during the marriage, especially if there's a significant difference in income or earning capacity. For example, these payments could contribute to housing expenses, utilities, transportation, health insurance premiums, and other regular living costs, enabling the recipient to transition to financial independence without a drastic immediate reduction in their quality of life.

  This demonstrates support as it involves ongoing financial provisions designed to sustain the recipient's accustomed degree of comfort and lifestyle following a significant life change.