The Price of a Broken Marriage in Seattle
A landmark Supreme Court ruling confirms that bankruptcy cannot be used by a husband to evade alimony payments to his former wife.
The United States Supreme Court today decided the novel suit of Horace Dunbar against Lottie, his divorced wife. Dunbar claimed that bankruptcy discharged him from alimony and that he would no longer have to pay it to his former wife. The Massachusetts court ruled against him and the Supreme Court sustained the state court. Dunbar is now running the Rainier-Grand Hotel in Seattle.
“Dunbar claimed that bankruptcy discharged him from alimony and that he would no longer have to pay it to his former wife.”
This 1903 case addressed the intersection of debt, divorce, and legal loopholes, establishing a precedent that personal financial failure does not absolve one of familial support obligations. It remains a foundational principle in modern divorce law, ensuring that alimony remains a priority debt despite bankruptcy filings.
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