Louisa and Jacques have been married for twenty-six years and live in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. They have four children, Marie (25), Matthew (20), Ellie (15) and Connor (12). Louisa has been a stay-at-home mom for most of their marriage while Jacques pursued his career in aerospace research. Only in the last three years has Louisa begun to work part-time at the local Friendly's. Louisa and Jacques own the marital residence, which is now worth $350,000 and still has $31,850 remaining on the mortgage.
Their marriage has been on the rocks for some years now; Louisa suspects that Jacques is cheating on her, although she has no real proof. Jacques believes that Louisa doesn't love him anymore. Ellie and Connor are aware of the tension in the family home. Matthew is a junior at LSU and only comes home on school breaks. Marie is in graduate school in Texas and rarely comes home.
Louisa wants a divorce and comes to consult with you about her options. She has the following questions:
a. Will she need to plead adultery in her Complaint?
b. Will she be able to obtain alimony or spousal support from Jacques?
c. Will she be able to remain in the family home? Who will pay the mortgage?
d. Who will be awarded custody of the children? Which ones?
e. Will Jacques be required to provide child support, and for which children?