To pay or not to pay

Wednesday, November 1, 2006

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This photo shows Lawrence Roach and his wife before their divorce, and before her sex change operation.

A Seminole man is fighting to stop alimony payments to his ex-wife because the woman is now a man.

Lawrence Roach says his ex-wife has had a sex change and is now living as a man with a new identity. Roach says he should be allowed discontinue $1,200 in monthly alimony payments.

"This isn't right. It's humiliating to me and degrading," Roach said. "You know, I'm a man and I don't want to be paying alimony to a man. If you can't be married to a man legally, how can you legally pay alimony to a man?"

Roach and his ex-wife, who Bay News 9 is not identifying, divorced 18 months ago after being married for more than 17 years. Roach said he should no longer have to make alimony payments because his ex-wife is no longer the person he married.

Bay News 9 legal analyst Joe Episcopo doubts that Roach will win his battle.

"His divorce decree is basically a contract that he has to follow,"

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Episcopo said. "Alimony is based on their relationship while they were married, not after the marriage is over."

Episcopo said unless Roach's ex-wife remarries or one of them dies he's required by law to pay alimony for life.