Major League Baseball’s Pete Rose said in court documents he’s in “poor health” as he attempts to finalize a divorce from his estranged wife, Carol Rose, so he can marry girlfriend Kiana Kim. Pete Rose is looking to score a home run by limiting his alimony exposure.
Charging the Mound
Rose filed the divorce pleading because the noted the longtime Cincinnati Reds superstar, who’s now 77, is dealing with a myriad of physical issues.
“[Rose] is currently disabled and can barely walk or travel,” the filing read. “His health is deteriorating and [he] has a heart condition and [is] on blood thinners.”
The documents seem to be in relation to establishing his income as part of the divorce. The papers say he lost two jobs in 2017, Fox Sports and Hit King, so his yearly income has dropped by more than half.
Rose says he still makes $453,000 a year according to TMZ Sports but has “great debts” and major expenses including attorney’s fees.
Florida Alimony
I’ve written about alimony in Florida before. In every dissolution of marriage case, the court can grant alimony to either party – husband or wife.
There are several types of alimony in Florida: bridge-the-gap, rehabilitative, durational, or permanent alimony. The court can also award a combination of alimony types.
Alimony awards are normally paid in periodic payments, but sometimes the payments of alimony can be in a lump sum or both lump sum and periodic payments.
In determining whether to award alimony or not, the court has to first make a determination as to whether someone like Rose’s wife has an actual need for alimony, and whether the other party has the ability to pay alimony.
Once a court determines there is a need and ability to pay alimony, it has to decide the proper type and amount of alimony. In doing so, the court considers several factors, some of which can include:
- The standard of living established during the marriage.
- The duration of the marriage.
- The age and the physical and emotional condition of each party.
- The financial resources of each party, including the nonmarital and the marital assets and liabilities distributed to each.
- The earning capacities, educational levels, vocational skills, and employability of the parties and, when applicable, the time necessary for either party to acquire sufficient education or training to enable such party to find appropriate employment.
In Pete Rose’s case, he’s going to be putting up evidence that his age and his physical and emotional condition should be given a lot of consideration by the court in determining alimony or the amount of alimony.
Double Play
The 17-time All-Star selection, three-time World Series champion and 1973 NL MVP is going for a double play. In addition to his physical condition, Rose added he’s lost around $550,000 in annual income over the past year, bringing his yearly earnings to $453,000.
Rose is attempting to block his wife from receiving spousal support or forcing him to cover legal fees related to the divorce, by proving his financial condition does not justify it.
The Cincinnati native was banned for life in 1989 for betting on baseball. His attempt to gain reinstatement, and create a potential Hall of Fame path, was denied by commissioner Rob Manfred in 2015.
Rose was enshrined in the Reds Hall of Fame in 2016.
The Bleacher Report article is here.