Questão jurídica principal
Whether changed circumstances after a protection-of-marriage judgment require a modification under Art. 179 CC once a divorce action has been filed.
Decisão extraída
No. After the divorce proceedings begin, the court must deal with the matter as interim measures under Art. 137 CC, not as a modification under Art. 179 CC.
Fundamentação extraída
Protection-of-marriage measures serve mainly to regulate maintenance while no divorce is pending or intended. If the spouses are now seeking divorce and the financial situation has materially changed, the legal basis is Art. 137 CC because the relevant need is to reorganize the regime for the duration of the divorce proceedings.