Fort Lauderdale attorney Robert Spector's ex-wife wanted to make his new spouse pay. Literally—for her legal expenses.

Renee Spector asked a state appellate court to award her attorney fees and costs in supplementary proceedings against her former husband's new wife, as part of her efforts as a judgment creditor to recoup more than $600,000 in past-due alimony. She claimed her ex transferred his most significant holdings­—real estate and a $750,000 life insurance policy—to his wife in a fraudulent attempt to escape collection.

Her case raises questions about exemptions to Florida's robust constitutional protections for homesteads against creditor actions. It also sparked an appeal by Robert Spector to the state Supreme Court following a July 12 ruling in his ex-wife's favor before the Fourth District Court of Appeal.