Palimony is a slang term coined by attorney Marvin Mitchelson in 1977 when his client Michelle Triola (who called herself Michelle Triola Marvin at the time) filed an unsuccessful suit against actor Lee Marvin. The term is a portmanteau of pal and alimony. Mitchelson, who often handled celebrity divorces, created the term as a media soundbite to publicize the Marvin case.