MacDonald v. MacDonald

Associate Chief Justice Lee, opinion of the Court:

¶ 1 Kirkpatrick MacDonald (MacDonald) filed a petition to vacate or reduce the alimony award to his former spouse Lee Anne MacDonald (now known as Lee Anne Fahey). The district court denied MacDonald's petition under Utah Code section 30-3-5(8)(i)(i).

In doing so it applied a standard set forth in a line of cases from our court of appeals, which allows a modification of an alimony order only if there is a substantial change in circumstances that was not "contemplated" in the original decree of divorce. See Bolliger v. Bolliger , 2000 UT App 47…