Finding the money to pay your ex her maintenance can be difficult, the case of Cándido Gutiérrez is probably the toughest, as the maintenance that he has to pay his ex-wife is actually more than he earns – which could a bit tricky on the money-juggling front.

In February 2009 his 15-year long marriage fell apart, resulting in a divorce settlement where he had to move out and find somewhere else to live and find a monthly maintenance payment to his wife of 600 euros. But then seven months later he ended up out of a job, which left him a monthly income of 426 euros in unemployment benefit. In other words, he’s 174 euros short each month.

How much does his ex, who is a university professor earn in the meantime? Glad you asked, because her per annum salary is 54,000 euros, or in other words around 3,000 euros per month, gross. Just not cricket, obviously

Well, has asked the court to adjust the amount he has to pay, as it was based on his income when he was working. He is willing to pay 230 euros, which is more than half of what he takes home.

However, the female judge, María del Carmen Siles, rejected his appeal, twice, bless her. This is because the ex claims that he earns a helping economic hand from his father of around 1,500 euros a month, which he does not declare.

Cándido counters that this money is ‘a loan’ and that he doesn’t receive it every month.
But the plot thickens because the ex hired a private detective – nice to have the spare cash knocking around for such and end, eh? The object was to prove that Cándido works on the quiet in an estate agent’s belonging to his family – he denies this.

His female lawyer considers the present divorce laws to be male chauvinist in orientation, as legislation presupposes that the woman is a housewife without outcome, as it may have been when that particular law code was written.

In the meantime, Cándido is living in another flat that belonged to them, but the wife wants him out so that she can sell it or rent it out… bless her.