| Property Division in Divorce: Valuation of Marital Property |
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| In divorce cases, courts usually must divide the parties' marital property between them. Marital property usually includes both marital assets and marital debts, and generally consists of all property acquired by both or either of the spouses during the marriage, other than property acquired by inheritance or gift from a third party. State divorce laws handle marital property differently depending on whether the state follows equitable distribution, straight community property, "all property," or dual property rules. More... |
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| Vacatur of Divorce Judgments |
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| "Vacatur" is an order of a court which sets aside or annuls a proceeding. When a judgment of divorce is vacated, the marital rights and status of the parties are restored, and the parties are placed in the position in which they were before the divorce. More... |
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| Uncontested Divorce Actions |
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| In general, uncontested divorce actions occur when either of the spouses does not appear in court in a divorce proceeding or when both the spouses mutually agree upon a divorce and on matters relating to financial settlements, custody, and/or support of their minor children. Typically, that mutual agreement is shown in the divorce petition, and it may include a waiver of service. Uncontested actions may arise in proceedings for dissolution of marriage, annulment, and separation. More... |
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| Attorney Fee Awards in Community Property States |
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| In an action for divorce under the common law, the power to grant a party attorney's fees and expenses is within the discretion of the court. Some courts exercise such power as a part of general equity and when warranted by the parties' relative ability to pay counsel fees. Numerous factors are considered by the court in awarding such fees, the most significant of which being the time spent and the services rendered by an attorney in representing a party in the divorce. More... |
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| Fault-Based Divorce: Impotence |
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| Impotence of either spouse is considered as one of the traditional fault grounds for divorce, and it remains a ground for fault-based divorce in some states. Some of those states allow grounds for annulment also to be grounds for fault-based divorce, and that includes impotence. In those states, the marriage is voidable if the afflicted spouse is found to have been impotent at the time of marriage and to have remained impotent up to the time the petition is filed. Generally, the petitioning spouse must prove that the impotent spouse is incapable of having sexual intercourse in order to get a divorce on this ground. Some of the states that retain impotence as a ground for divorce require that the impotence be permanent and incurable. In the case of the impotent husband, the advent of drugs to treat erectile dysfunction may affect that standard. More... |
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