Walk It Through: The Split
Irretrievably broken after ninety days, the child's bond with each parent first, and a just and equitable split.
A pharmacist, married for years with one child, decides the marriage is over and asks what it takes to file.
Two things a person in this spot might do. Picking one shows what the law says about it.
One marriage and one house. Limits on a parent's time, child support, and domestic partnerships are not worked through here.
A practice walkthrough, not a prediction of how any real one will go. Legal information, not legal advice.
Words this turns on
Terms with a legal meaning that is narrower than the everyday one. Each links to the definition and the authority behind it.
- Irretrievably brokenWhat a petition for dissolution alleges about the marriage; the court proceeds once ninety days have passed since the petition was filed and the respondent was served.
- MisconductA reason for discharge or suspension connected with the work that disqualifies a claimant for ten calendar weeks, and until earning ten times the weekly benefit amount.
- Parenting planThe plan whose residential provisions the court sets by the factors the statute lists, giving the greatest weight to the strength, nature and stability of the child's relationship with each parent.
- MaintenanceSupport the court may order for either spouse or domestic partner, in amounts and for periods it deems just, weighing the factors the section lists.