Ex Parte Moore

In 2001, after 19 years of marriage, John P. Moore, Jr. ("the husband"), and Theresa V. Moore ("the wife") were divorced by the Houston Circuit Court, following the presentation of ore tenus evidence. The trial court divided the marital property and the debts of the marriage and awarded the wife $ 4,000 in monthly periodic alimony, "until such time as the [wife] has become employed in her profession as a nurse anesthetist, but for no longer than twelve months from the date of [the] judgment."

The wife appealed, arguing that the property division was inequitable, that the alimony award was…