Cheating doesn't matter because Washington State is a "no-fault" state, which means that either party can file for divorce without providing proof of a particular cause, such as adultery.
Washington is a no-fault divorce state, which means that fault or marital misconduct are not considered grounds for divorce and do not affect alimony or child custody.
While California is a no-fault divorce state, meaning that neither party needs to prove wrongdoing to obtain a divorce, marital misconduct such as cheating can be considered when determining alimony. The court may take into account the impact of the infidelity on the financial condition of the innocent spouse.
1) Adultery Doesn't Matter The first surprising law: adultery really doesn't matter when determining who should have custody of the children, whether to award spousal maintenance (alimony), or division of property. Washington is a no-fault state.
As a general rule of thumb, courts in Washington State award one year of alimony for every three or four years of marriage. There is no statute or case law explicitly stating this formula, but it is an oft mentioned rule and generally what courts can be expected to do.
Financial Need: Alimony is often determined by the financial needs of the lower-earning spouse. If the cheating spouse is in a position where they require support to maintain a reasonable standard of living after the divorce, courts may award alimony regardless of their infidelity.
Cheating doesn't matter because Washington State is a "no-fault" state, which means that either party can file for divorce without providing proof of a particular cause, such as adultery.
Can you get alimony if your husband cheated? In the United States, adultery won't and can't affect alimony. State laws prescribe when a spouse is eligible for alimony. Except in a very few jurisdictions, divorce courts have no power to punish an adulterous spouse.
Washington is a no-fault divorce state, which means that fault or marital misconduct are not considered grounds for divorce and do not affect alimony or child custody.