Cohabitation Family Law Definition:
Cohabitation, defined as living together in an intimate relationship, often without marriage. This is becoming increasingly relevant in legal matters, particularly when it comes to alimony payments and lies with regards to living situations. Our cohabitation investigation service can provide crucial insights and evidence to help individuals prove they are paying more than necessary in alimony due to their ex-spouse’s living arrangements.
Is your ex wife cohabitating with her boyfriend?
Take, for example, our client, Richard. After his ex-wife, Rachel, kicked him out of their home—a house they shared with their three children—he was faced with a hefty alimony obligation. This came after Rachel was caught having an affair with Chris, a fellow parent from their children’s school. Richard, the family’s primary provider, was now required to pay substantial alimony, even though Rachel was living with Chris. It was obvious they were together though they went at lengths hiding their tryst.
Richard eventually discovered that Rachel and Chris were not only living together but had been doing so for some time, with Chris even moving in with his own child. In order to reduce Richards alimony payments, we needed to prove they were cohabitating. Richard turned to our team of licensed investigators. We explained to Richard that this would require thorough, multi-day covert surveillance to ensure we could document their ongoing cohabitation, rather than claiming it was a temporary arrangement.
Surveillance is Crucial to prove cohabitation
Our investigation began early one weekday morning. Knowing the children would be leaving for school, we anticipated seeing the couple together. Sure enough, we observed both Rachel and Chris at the residence, departing with the children in tow. After dropping the kids off at school, they ran errands together, each switching off holding one of Richard’s children. We continued surveillance throughout the day, capturing video evidence to show they were living together and co-parenting.
On day two, we repeated the surveillance. This time, we also observed Chris handling household chores, such as taking out the trash and collecting the mail, further supporting the claim of cohabitation. Again, we stayed until nightfall, capturing their return home with the children.
Video Proof speaks for itself
For day three, we spaced out the surveillance to several weeks later to avoid any claims of Chris merely visiting temporarily. Our team again witnessed the same pattern: the couple left together, took the children to school, ran errands, picked them up, and returned home. A few key observations captured on video were when Chris was driving their car, Chris used his keys to get their mail from the community mailbox and he cleaned around the house and garage.
Ultimately, we provided Richard with the evidence he needed—video footage showing probable evidence that Rachel and Chris were living together. Richard was then able to use this evidence in court to significantly reduce his alimony payments. Needless to say, Richard is VERY happy.
If you’re facing a similar situation and need reliable, professional results, contact the licensed investigators at Paramount Investigative Services, Inc. We have the expertise to provide the evidence you need, from start to finish.
