Marriage of Weggeland CA3

BACKGROUND

A December 2015 judgment of dissolution ended a seven-year marriage between the parties and required respondent to pay spousal support to appellant in the amount of $1,500 per month “until . . . further order of the court.” In a March 2019 filing, respondent asked the trial court to modify his spousal support to appellant. After hearing testimony in July 2019, and considering documentary evidence provided by the parties, the trial court granted respondent’s request to modify spousal support, and ordered him “to pay [appellant] the sum of $500 a month . . . for 12 consecutive months,” followed by payments of $300 a month “for a period of 6 months,” with “[s]upport thereafter terminat[ing].” Explaining its ruling in an eight-page decision that included analysis of criteria set forth in Family Code section 4320,1 the trial court found “a change in circumstances exist[ed]” that justified the modification. Appellant timely appealed.

DISCUSSION

Appellant is proceeding in pro. per. Her pleadings and papers should thus be liberally construed in order to assure she receives a hearing on the merits. (See People v. Reyes (1969) 273 Cal.App.2d 769, 770; People v. Mitchell (1962)…