Divorce in new jersey law

Also, any marriage that is expressly prohibited by statute is void by annulment. Under each ground for an absolute divorce, there is a provision for when you can bring the lawsuit against your spouse to the court. As long as you can fulfill the residency requirement discussed in the residency section there is no time limit when claiming adultery.

If your spouse has been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor with a sentence of at least 18 months you can file for divorce. Adultery is sexual intercourse between a married person and someone other than the spouse. In New Jersey, neither cunnilingus nor fellatio, which the law defines as sodomy, is a ground for divorce and generally neither is considered adultery. The sexual intercourse must involve some penetration of the female organ by the male organ, but a "completion" of the sexual intercourse is not required. There probably is no such thing as a pleasant adultery case; because names, dates, places, paramours, and the like have to be brought out in the open.

Divorce 101: The New Jersey Divorce Process Explained

If your spouse no longer cares about what you know and is open about the affair, you're lucky. You can then catch your spouse flagrante delicto , which means you have your spouse in the flagrant wrong and may not have to worry about hiring detectives. However, you may still need a detective to prove your case in court. There is still a need for a corroborative witness, such as a mutual friend or neighbor, who has no stake in the matter except telling the court what he she witnessed. Most adultery cases are proven by circumstantial evidence, which means that you have to establish that your spouse had the disposition and opportunity to commit adultery.

Public displays of affection, such as hand-holding, kissing, and hugging, between the guilty spouse and the paramour are generally sufficient evidence to indicate an adulterous disposition. Opportunity may be proven by showing that your spouse was seen entering the paramour's apartment at 11 P. If you can only prove disposition but not opportunity, the courts may not allow your divorce because the court may reason that it is just mere speculation.

The same is true if you only show that there was opportunity, but cannot prove disposition. When you think about it, this seems to make sense. Naming the Co-Respondent Sometimes known as a paramour, the co-respondent is the person whom you charge as having committed adultery with your spouse. The co-respondent has the right to hire a lawyer and file an answer to your complaint.

Naming co-respondents can get sticky, particularly if your facts are incorrect. You might be damaging the reputation of an innocent person.


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Adulterers are not equal under the blanket of the law. In New Jersey, adultery may impact custody if the adultery is proven to have harmed or impaired the children. Adultery does not necessarily affect alimony awards in New Jersey.

New Jersey Divorce Guide | Divorce Attorney | Bart W. Lombardo, Esq.

It will, however, be a factor for consideration in awarding alimony. Generally, if you knew your spouse committed adultery but continued to live and cohabit with your spouse, then adultery cannot be used as a ground. Once you resume marital relations, after you learned of the adulterous act, the courts feel that you have forgiven, or "condoned," the act. But, if your spouse starts having affairs again, you can then sue on grounds of adultery. Or, if your spouse has had several affairs and you knew of and condoned only one, you may file on adultery regarding the newly discovered affairs.

In New Jersey, however, condonation does not necessarily bar the action for divorce; it now only a "factor for consideration. If your spouse has been convicted-not simply charged-of a crime, that is a ground for divorce in New Jersey. The conviction can be for either a misdemeanor or a felony in any state, and the spouse has to serve at least 18 months of a minimum three-year sentence in a penitentiary or penal institution. Your spouse must be judged permanently and incurably insane and be confined in an institution or a hospital for a minimum of 24 four months before filing.

A Few Key Points

To prove insanity, two or more psychiatrists are needed to testify that your spouse is incurable and that there is no hope of recovery. The court will appoint an attorney to act in the defense of your spouse whom you purport to be insane. These costs are usually borne by you. The State of New Jersey has a "no fault" divorce known as voluntary separation.

It usually means that you and your spouse have separated after mutually and voluntarily agreeing that you no longer wish to live together as husband and wife and that there is no hope for a reconciliation. Your spouse cannot threaten or blackmail you into leaving; you separate because you both want to. To get a divorce on this ground you have to be separated not living under the same roof without interruption not even one night without cohabitation not a single incident of sexual intercourse for 18 months and there is no hope of reconciliation.

Step 6: Intensive Settlement Conference.

Divorcing Spouses Living Together

Step 7: Trial If the parties cannot come to an agreement after all of the above steps, and if they do not enter into an agreement to arbitrate the issues, then they will proceed to this last step. Fault Divorce Annulment vs. Message Us Name. Phone Number. Our Three Offices. We have 3 locations in Essex, Somerset and Bergen County.

All Locations. Essex County Office Somerset County Office Snyder Jerry S. D'Aniello Joseph V. Maceri Paul M. Cozewith Scott D. Wortmann Julie R. Pacheco Mitchell A.


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Dornfeld John J. Download Our Comprehensive Divorce Guide. If you and your spouse agree that you can amicably live together, it is absolutely legal and possible for you to share a residency for as long as possible.


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