Post Decree Issues

Even after a court signs a decree of dissolution of marriage resolving the issues in your case, circumstances
may change such that one or both of the former spouses wants to modify the existing court orders. At
Dymond • Reagor, we assist our clients with various post-decree issues to adjust for life’s changing circumstances.

Which Court Orders Can be Modified?

The most common issues requiring post-decree modification are orders for child support, spousal maintenance,
decision-making and parenting time for children. The existing court orders and language contained in any
separation agreements between the parties can impact the likelihood of whether an existing court order can and will
be modified. However, the court always has the ability to modify child support, decision-making and parenting time.

What Happens if Both Parties Don’t Agree to the Modification?

If both parties agree to modify existing court orders, they can stipulate to the modification and ask the judge to
approve the stipulation and make it a new court order. However, former spouses often do not agree on whether
existing court orders should be changed. In those cases, the party requesting a change will need to file a motion to
modify the existing orders and prepare for a court hearing to convince the judge that the orders should be modified.