Buenos Aires, November 30 (NA) — The National Appeals Court in Civil Matters (Chamber B) issued a landmark ruling setting a precedent for the payment method of Economic Compensation following a divorce. The court determined that excessively long payments undermine the law's purpose.
The court increased the total compensation awarded to the former spouse (who abandoned their medical career for the family) to $4,000,000 and radically modified the payment term.
Previous Term: 100 consecutive monthly installments (set in first instance). New Term: 20 equal and consecutive installments of $200,000 each (plus inflation adjustment).
The court justified the change based on the principles of family solidarity and equity.
The court explained that the economic compensation aims to provide the economically weaker spouse with autonomy or independence to "face the future." Extending the payment for nearly eight years, as implied by 100 installments, would only prolong the state of economic dependence between individuals, which is contrary to the spirit of the Civil and Commercial Code of the Nation (CCyCN).
