Glenn Binder is a 95-year-old retired farmer who just got divorced from his 96-year-old wife after 32 years of marriage.
But when Binder went to a Nebraska court to finalize terms of the split, a judge ordered that he pay $3,200 in monthly alimony to the ex-wife, despite the fact that Binder didn’t even make that much himself.
Binder took his case to the Nebraska Supreme Court this week, which upheld a lower court’s decision on Binder’s alimony. The case is now making nationwide headlines and is being held as an example of a broken court system that often doles out unfair divorce judgments .
Glenn and ex-wife Laura Binder were in their 60s when they got married, and at the time, Glenn had 200 acres of farm land that was considered a premarital asset.
This week, Glenn Binder’s attorney said the ruling could have big ramifications for future alimony cases.
“I think the court has given district judges the ability to utilize premarital property to satisfy an alimony obligation,” said attorney Claude Berreckman Jr. of Cozad.
The couple’s marriage fell apart in the past few years, and Laura Binder moved to a nursing home that costs $6,200 per month. Glenn Binder lives in a mobile home and said his big monthly alimony bills are driving him into further poverty.
Glenn tried to send child support guidelines to the court to support his case, but the judge ruled against it.
From Omaha.com explains the situation as follows.
“In previous rulings, the Supreme Court has said child support takes precedence over alimony. And courts should not order alimony that forces an income below the poverty threshold if the person also is supporting minor children.
“But the child support guidelines don’t apply to alimony cases when children aren’t involved, said Judge William Connolly, who wrote the court’s opinion. And the record shows that Glenn Binder owns land with a taxable value in excess of $500,000.”
Binder’s case is one of many strange court decisions making headlines in recent months. Earlier this year, a Detroit man went to jail over $30,000 in child support payments he never made.
But the man, Carnell Alexander , said he had a good reason. Alexander only found out recently that he was listed as the father of a child an ex-girlfriend had, a baby actually fathered by another man. The court held a paternity hearing, but Alexander was never notified, and the state declared him the father.
For Glenn Binder, the monthly alimony payments have left him with few options, the man’s attorney said. Binder must now either sell his farmland or borrow against its equity.
[Image via Getty Images/Joe Raedle]