Debbie Matenopoulos Gets Spousal Support (For Now)

E!’s Debbie Matenopoulos is still in the midst of an acrimonious divorce from movie exec Jay Faires. We previously reported that Faires accused Matenopoulos of living in the couple’s multi-million dollar marital home since their separation but paying none of the bills associated with the house. He wanted the court to order her to either pay the household expenses herself or to pay spousal support to Faires to help with those expenses.

It looks though like the couple may have reached a temporary truce in the matter. They appeared in court at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning and the court’s order was publicly available by 10:20 a.m. – which leads me to believe that there was not much in the way of testimony or argument. Additionally, Faires was represented at the hearing by divorce attorney Gary Fishbein but Matenopoulous was without counsel. (Fishbein has previously represented Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx, former tennis star Pam Shriver, actor Gary Oldman and actor Ryan Phillippe.)

In any event, the court entered an order requiring Faires to pay Matenopoulos $3,595 per month (retroactive to January) for spousal support. The court specifically noted that Matenopoulos was living in the marital home and is therefore responsible for all expenses related to the house, including mortgage payments. Faires is allowed to deduct any amounts spent on household expenses from his spousal support obligation.

Now, much seems to be made of the court’s note that these monthly payments are to continue until either party dies or until Matenopoulos remarries. In fact, Perez Hilton says:

Matenopoulos, who already makes a reported $225,000 a year, will be paid the $3k and some change once a month every month until either she or ex Jay Faires passes away!

Either that or until Debbie convinces another man to marry her!

Sure, we understand spousal support when the other party is hurting for $$$, but really???

The two didn’t even have children together!

What Perez fails to acknowledge is that the court order says the spousal support is to be paid until either party dies, Matenopoulos remarries or until further order of the court.  (RadarOnline has the full document available here.) All of that is boilerplate alimony language and, in this case, the support award is temporary because the divorce is not even final yet.

This isn’t “money-grubbing” like Perez’s headline crows. This is a way for the household expenses to be paid in an equitable manner pending the resolution of the divorce. Clearly, the spousal support is tied to the house – this is evident in the court’s reference to Matenopoulos’s responsibilities for household expenses and the credit it is willing to give Faires for expenses he may pay. And the order also allows Faires to get the tax benefit of paying spousal support.

The court set the case for trial in December. I would expect to see this spousal support arrangement go away as soon as the house can be sold. This is a test of a really long link – bear with us while we test this to make sure our blog is working like it should. If you click this it will take you to the MyFamilyLaw Library.

Also See:

• E!’s Debbie Matenopoulos Headed for Divorce
• Debbie Matenopoulos’s Husband Accuses Her of Freeloading