Judge: Ex still due alimony when she becomes he

#1

Judge: Ex still due alimony when she becomes he

CLEARWATER, Florida (AP) -- A woman's sex change operation does not free her ex-husband from his alimony obligation, a judge said Wednesday.

Attorneys for Lawrence Roach, 48, had argued his 55-year-old ex-wife's decision to switch genders and change her name from Julia to Julio Roberto Silverwolf voided their 2004 divorce agreement.

"It's illegal for a man to marry a man and it should likewise be illegal for a man to pay alimony to a man," said John McGuire, one of Roach's attorneys.

Circuit Judge Jack R. St. Arnold, however, ruled that in the eyes of the law, nothing changed significantly enough to free Roach from his $1,250-a-month obligation.

The judge said since Florida courts have ruled sex-change surgery cannot legally change a person's birth gender, Roach technically is not paying alimony to a man.

Gender definitions are "a question that raises issues of public policy that should be addressed by the Legislature, not the Florida courts," St. Arnold wrote.

Silverwolf's lawyer, Gregory Nevins, said the language of the divorce decree is clear -- Roach agreed to pay alimony until his ex-wife dies or remarries.

Nevins said he and his client were pleased with the ruling, although they disagree with Florida's refusal to legally recognize gender reassignment surgery.

Roach, a utility worker who has since remarried, said he will press his fight to end the payments.

"We're going to try everything we can," he said. "I can't rest until I get satisfaction."

The case is the second transsexual rights showdown in Pinellas County in less than a week. On Friday, city commissioners voted 5-2 to fire Largo's city manager, Steve Stanton, after he announced he was a transsexual.

An Ohio appeals court ruled in September 2004 that a Montgomery County man must continue to pay alimony to his transsexual ex-wife because her sex change wasn't reason enough to violate the agreement.

In my opinion, women win most csaes because they are women. This bitch sould lose that right since she can afford to alter her sex which isn't cheap by a long shot. What do you guys think?

Lost Ghost · #2

Uh....I disagree with you completely and on everything you just said...

#3

Why is that? I know I wouldn't agree to supplement her sex change operation. Did you stop to think maybe her desire to be a man had something to do with their divorce in the first place. Men shouldn't have to pay the price for these types of divorces when it's not any fault of their own.

Lost Ghost · #4

So you're making the assumption that the woman divorced her husband because she wanted to be a man...and because of your assumption...he shouldn't have to pay alimony?

I disagree that women win cases because they are women...I don't think you have anything to really back that up...

I know you said "in my opinion" but it sounds like you're just bitter against females for some unknown reason.

#5

Maybe the husband didn't want to be married to a woman that wants to be a man, I know it wouldn't float my boat. As to me having something against women, it's not true, just stating facts as I see them. More women make out better in divorces then men, that's just way it is. Remember, I was talking about these types of divorces. How can we justify making this man pay her when he has nothing to do with her desire to become a man? Would you stay married to her? If the answer is no, would you like to pay that person 1250.00 a month because you couldn't live with yourself by staying with her? It's not as black and white as you seem to think.

Lost Ghost · #6

not as black and white as I think?

Dude everything you just said there was an assumption.

No where does it say her wanting to become a man was the reason for their divorce.

They got divorced in 2004....and its 2007....I doubt it took her three years to want to go through with the process if it was the reason they got divorced. Do you even read your own articles.

Three years have past since they split...and you think the reason they split was because the man didn't want to be married to a woman who wanted to be a man.... That's like saying K-Fed and Brittney broke up because she was bald..... Shit happened afterwards...and has no affect on it.

You were referring to "these types of divorces" (which is a mute point anyway...because this "type" happens so infrequently...that you decided to post it here) when you strictly stated that women win most cases because they are women.

Correct me if I'm wrong...but this isn't 'most cases' so you were referring to more than just this case.

The reason that women seem to come out of divorces better....is because you only hear of it in situations where the man is the primary money makers...so he's splitting half his money that he earned with his wife...

Women do not always come out better.... I don't think you have a single idea what you're talking about dude...

#7

Wanting to change your sex does not happen over night. In this one case, I think I can have the latitude to guess it had something to do with their parting. You have to concede that their relationship was not a normal one to say the very least.

I never meant to get your panties in a bunch, I would like to think that our flame wars are a thing of the past.

Anybody else have opinion on this subject? I would love to know if I have read this all wrong.

Lost Ghost · #8

Again....how does what this woman wants to do with her own life 3 years later have anything to do with their relationship?

how can you say because of this....they had a strained relationship and got divorced.

believe it or not...people have irrational impulse decisions...not everything is planned out 5 years ahead of time...

You're telling me....a guy and girl go together in high school or college....and then later on the woman decides to turn into a lesbian.... it automatically means that their relationship was strained or that that's the reason they broke up? Or maybe its a decision that was made independent of the last relationship. I actually know of a few situations where girls have turned into lesbians after being in a happy relationship that ended well...

#9

I'm gonna go with the idea...That if I up and cut my dick off and decide to become Tyronda, that I've had the capacity to be fucked up from the get go...

If this...Whatever the fuck she is, has enough issues to want to be a man, I'm pretty sure they could do something fucked up to warrant being divorced..We aren't talking about simple sex preference, just deciding to be a dyke...

This chick went full on and had an op...Totally spins the table if you ask me...

#10

Your a breath of fresh air.