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Wisconsin law allows a court to consider cohabitation of a former spouse as a basis to modify or eliminate spousal support if the cohabitation significantly reduces the financial need of the spouse. Although maintenance payments cannot be modified solely on the basis of cohabitation, a court may review the particular financial need of the recipient and ability to pay of the payer to determine if there has been a change in the financial circumstances of the parties.

In the case of Popp v. Popp, 146 Wis.2d 778, 432 N.W.2d 600
(Wis.App.,1988), the court ruled that a former wife's fiance, with whom she cohabitated after divorce, provided her and her children with housing, utilities, ntertainment, food as needed, and gifts, thus eliminating wife's need for maintenance payments designed to provide those same items, justifying termination of maintenance payments.

Also, if asked to modify the family support payments, the trial court should consider each party's "earning capacity rather than ... actual earnings," see Chen v. Warner, 280 Wis.2d 344, 695 N.W.2d 758 (WI. 2005)

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