Pennsylvania Divorce Laws
From a legal standpoint, divorce decree falls into two basic
categories: contested or no fault. Pennsylvania divorce laws call the
"no fault" divorce a mutual consent divorce. It is the fastest and
simplest way to end a marriage in the state.
If one spouse has been living for at least six months in the state then
they are considered a resident and can file the mutual consent divorce
petition. Once a judge has determined that both parties agree to the
terms, they can make the divorce official after 90 days.
A variation of the mutual consent divorce is the irretrievable divorce.
This type of no fault divorce is granted if the husband and wife have
lived apart for at least two years and both agreed that the marriage
can't be fixed.
The same 90 day rule applies to make it official. The contested divorce
is where it can get messy. This is when the "innocent and injured"
spouse sets forth specific grounds for divorce. Often those grounds are
contested.
Pennsylvania Grounds for Divorce
In a Pennsylvania fault divorce the injured spouse needs to prove that
their partner has abandoned them without regard for up to a year or has
created a hostile living environment through physical or emotional
abuse.
Additional grounds would be if a spouse was involved in an adulterous
affair or found to be married to another person at the same time. And
if a spouse has been convicted of a felony crime and is serving up to
two years in jail, a judge will grant a divorce.
Pennsylvania Divorce Property
Distribution
Any asset, property or money that was generated during the marriage is
considered to be a marital asset. In a Pennsylvania divorce, a judge
will determine what is the best course of action with regard to
dividing the marital assets between the spouses. The best advice is to
work out the marital asset distribution before getting in front of the
judge.
If those terms can't be agreed upon then the judge will consider the
length of the marriage and the contributions each spouse made to those
assets. Those contributions could have come in the form of paying for
an education of one partner who is now in an advanced career.
A judge will also consider the financial status of each spouse and what
kind of tax burden might be assessed. Lastly, if there are children
involved the judge will also consider where their primary residence
will be.
Pennsylvania Child Custody Laws
If children are involved in a divorce case where both sides have
requested custody, then it will fall to the judge to determine what is
in the best interests of the children.
The Protection From Abuse Act states that if there is proven abuse from
one parent then the other parent will be given sole custody. When abuse
is not an issue, the judge takes into account what might be the least
disruptive change for the children. However, if both parents have
established the desire to set up equal and safe living environments
then dual custody can be awarded.
For child support, the court uses the "Income Shares" rates that most
states have adopted. They will also consider the specific earning
potential of the spouse who might be required to pay child support.