Question asked on June 9th, 2018
Q: I no longer have my job of 25 years. Im doing the best i can to look for work. Im online from dusk till dawn. My husband told me if dont find a job he will stop providing food for me.
A: Short answer “no.” Spouses are required to provide basic necessities for one another, and even the threat of not doing so sounds like spousal abuse. Consider whether this is how you actually want to live; if necessary, short-term relief might be possible through a temporary protective order, information about that is linked here. Or, consider whether this situation will lead to divorce, as linked here. Consider a full consultation with a family law specialist. Good luck.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my husband legally refuse to provide food or basic necessities if I'm not working?
No. In Nevada, spouses are required to provide the basic necessities of life for one another, and that duty does not disappear because one spouse has lost a job and is looking for work. Even the threat to cut off food or other necessities is the kind of conduct that can be treated as spousal abuse.
Is threatening to withhold food from a spouse considered domestic abuse in Nevada?
It can be. Withholding or threatening to withhold food and other basic necessities from a spouse is a form of coercion and control, and the firm’s view is that even the threat sounds like spousal abuse. If you need short-term relief, a temporary protective order may be available through the Family Division in Clark County, and the firm’s domestic violence page explains how that process works (NRS 33).
What are my options if my spouse is using money and food to control me?
You have two broad paths, and they are not mutually exclusive. Short-term, a temporary protective order can provide immediate relief if the conduct rises to abuse. Longer-term, consider honestly whether this is how you want to live and whether the situation is headed toward divorce, in which case Nevada’s community property and spousal support rules will govern how you are supported during and after the case. Willick Law Group can review your situation in a consultation.
Marshal S. Willick is the principal of the Willick Law Group, an A/V rated Family Law firm in Las Vegas, Nevada, and practices in trial and appellate Family Law. He is a Certified Family Law Specialist, a Fellow of both the American and International Academies of Matrimonial Lawyers, former Chair of the Nevada Bar Family Law Section and former President of the Nevada chapter of the AAML.
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