Has anyone successfully had the courts Terminate Alimony Pendente Lite for intentionally delaying the divorce process? I have seen 3 law firms claim that this can be done by filing a motion with the courts to terminate Alimony Pendente Lite for intentionally delaying the divorce process. Its been almost 15 months since separation and not one step in moving forward with divorce has been taken. The STBX is living high off the hog receiving 2K a month from me while she's been shacking up with her new man since May of 2023. Lots of other shady stuff going on but I just want to keep the conversation to how to stop this madness of paying this Alimony Pendente Lite when there is no action to move forward with divorce.

Long story short: Married for 23 years no biological children together + they are all grown adults living their own life's. In February 2023 the conditions of our marriage got to the point where I had to leave the house and move on with my life. February 12th I left with my clothing and laptop so I could continue to work (remote worker). I left the state of North Carolina and moved to Florida. 2 days later on February 14th the STBX took the contents of the house and moved to Pennsylvania. On Mon, Mar 20, 2023, attorney contacted me to try and make a settlement. On April 11th I made an offer to settle but received no counteroffer. On May 17, 2023 her lawyer informed my that she was no longer representing the STBX based on jurisdictional issues. On May 31, 2023, Complaint in Divorce filed in Pennsylvania. On July 11, 2023, Complaint for Alimony Pendente Lite filed. On Aug 22, 2023, I sent a Marital Settlement Proposal. As of 4-20-2024 no counteroffer or acknowledgement. On March 19th, 2024, my lawyer requested Interrogatories and Requests for Production. On April 11, 2024, Lawyer letter I intend to file a Motion to Compel Plaintiff within the next ten (10) days.

I expect the motion to compel will be filed with the courts on April 22nd 2024.

Three sites that describe the termination of Alimony Pendente Lite for intentionally delaying the divorce process:

Foot Dragging
APL might also be limited if the party receiving APL is intentionally delaying the divorce.  A big frustration for spouses who are paying APL is that some spouses drag out the divorce to keep the APL payments going. In those cases, the attorney for the payor spouse can request that the court intervene and either put a stop to the foot-dragging or limit the duration of APL.

Intentionally delaying
ALP can be limited to a specific period or may terminate if the independent spouse can show the court that the recipient spouse is intentionally delaying the divorce process to keep receiving alimony payments. ALP generally ends if the recipient spouse cohabitates or remarries.

Not working to advance the divorce
If the receiving spouse is not working to advance the divorce action forward and therefore not “litigating” the action, the paying spouse can ask the court to terminate the APL award.