Bifurcation

Bifurcation is the process whereby a divorce decree may be granted prior to resolution of the economic rights of the parties. Where granted, the court retains jurisdiction over the parties’ equitable distribution claims as well as support claims. Section 3323 (c)(1) of the Divorce Code discusses where bifurcation might be available. If both parties consent to bifurcation, the court can enter a divorce decree indicating that they are retaining jurisdiction over the unresolved issues. In the absence of an agreement for bifurcation, the party requesting it would have to demonstrate why it is necessary. Specifically, the statute states compelling circumstances must exist and there must be sufficient economic protection for the other party.

The other requirement for bifurcation is that there are already grounds for divorce. In a no-fault divorce, this would refer to both parties having consented after 90 days or a two year period of separation having run. Whether there are compelling circumstances and sufficient economic protection is up to the court’s discretion. The length of time the parties have been separated and/or litigating the divorce matter can be a relevant factor. Tax consequences have been considered as a factor given the potential benefit of filing as individuals versus filing married separately. Finally, the court may consider the assets already in each parties’ possession as well as a support order to determine the appropriateness of a bifurcation request under the sufficient economic protection prong. Some of the policies behind allowing bifurcation is to let the parties move on with their lives and offer an incentive for prompt disposition of all issues.

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Support Orders and Retroactivity

Normally a support order is retroactive to the date of filing. If, however, there was a reason someone was precluded from filing for support, say for a physical or mental disability, the support order could be retroactive to the date they could have filed if they had been able. If a party conceals their income, the court could find that they are in contempt of an order that requires material changes to be reported in seven days and the court could retroactively modify the support to the date that they concealed their income. This also requires that the other party timely file once they learn of the misrepresentation. In these cases, a Court can retroactively adjust the amount of arrears on a support order. If there is a change income after a support order is entered that would materially affect the amount of support, it must be disclosed to the other side.

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Counseling during a Divorce

Oftentimes when people are getting divorced, there are many emotional issues involved. In instances where one spouse did not want the divorce, or even when they did but they endured physical abuse, adultery, mental abuse, or just the trauma of change that a separation brings, counseling with a qualified therapist or psychologist can be invaluable. While the process of getting divorced brings with it all these emotions, the application of the law of divorce does not consider all these emotions in the actual outcome of the division of the assets or alimony. This can be extremely frustrating for someone who feels that they need to be compensated for all they endured. It is important to be able to separate the emotion of the divorce from the actual application of the outcome of the divorce itself and this is where a therapist can really help someone. Having someone to help through the emotional process is important to be able to be rational when it is time to come to a discussion of the settlement of the assets and alimony.

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Changing Your Name Legally

There are many reasons why someone may want to change their name. It could be they have never really bonded with their parent and want a new last name. It may be that they wish to change their name for business purposes. Perhaps, they are from another country and want to change it formally to another name. Maybe they have always used a different first name. Whatever the reason, in most instance, when someone wants to change their name, they will have to file a Petition for a Name Change with the Court. The costs involved can sometimes be unexpected. In addition to paying for the filing fee that court charges to file the petition, there are fees to have fingerprinting done by the State Police. The Court will also do a credit check. In instances where someone is trying to change their name to escape from the stigma of a criminal record or from creditors, the Court will often deny the petition. There are also fees for publication in both a newspaper of local general circulation as well as in a legal paper. In addition, notice must be given, usually by personal service or certified mail to anyone whose interest may be adverse to the change of name (normally a parent who gave them the name). A change of name in the legal sense under these circumstances requires attendance at a hearing even if the parents do not dispute the change of name. This means that there will be lawyer fees on top of all the out of pocket expenses. Of course, when you remarry or divorce, you do not have to go through the Petition to Change a name. When you marry, you may automatically adopt the name of your spouse and if you divorce, there is a much cheaper option to file for a name change called a Notice to Retake your maiden name that does not require a hearing or publication and usually only a nominal filing fee. It can be done whether a person is an adult or a child. If it is a child, the parent must petition on the child’s behalf. In all circumstances, the court will weigh the reasons for the change, an in many cases, a name change will be granted when there is good reason or no opposition.

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What Happens to the Pet in a Divorce

In Pennsylvania, pets are considered personal property in a divorce. Like any personal property, if they were a pet prior to marriage, they go to the party who owned the dog at the time of the marriage. If they were purchased during the marriage, then like any other personal property, either party is entitled to keep the pet. If the parties cannot agree, they can either go to arbitration or they can decide that neither party gets to keep the pet. It is unrealistic to expect that the Court will entertain a custody schedule for a pet in a divorce. In addition, the custody statutes only apply to children. If you want to share custody of the pet, it is something that is best resolved through mediation. Through mediation, the parties can decide what things they want to address to agree on and this can include an agreement to share a pet. If you opt for this, be sure to not only include the schedule for you put, but also who will pay the expenses or how they will be shared, including vet bills, food, regular shots, etc.

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How long will the Divorce take?

If you are getting divorced, or recently filed, you may wonder how long it is going to take to get your divorce. In Pennsylvania, there are two no-fault grounds for divorce which is the vast majority of divorces even if you think you have been wronged. If you are already separated for two years when you file for divorce and have no assets to divide and no alimony issues, it can take as little as two months to get divorced. If you have no assets and no alimony issues but have not been separated for two years, there is a mandatory 90 day cooling off period. In those cases, you can expect your divorce to take about four to five months.

When you do have issues, either alimony or division of assets, it is much more difficult to predict how long it will take. One of the reasons it becomes much harder to predict is that you cannot get divorced until you know what the assets are which is accomplished during discovery. If your spouse is non-cooperative and does not provide the necessary information, you may spend a considerable amount of time in and out of court attempting to get this information. If you spouse does not consent to the divorce, you could be waiting at a minimum two years before you can even get grounds for divorcee which you need before you get divorced.

If your spouse is cooperative and you have assets and alimony issues but you are able to come to an agreement at the beginning, the timing would be about the same as if you had no issues, two months if separated two years already and four to five months if you recently separated.

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How an Inheritance could hurt you in a divorce

If you are getting divorced and you are entitled to a large inheritance, although the Court cannot distribute your inheritance as part of the marital estate (unless you put it into joint names), it still must be disclosed as part of the divorce process. Inheritance that you are entitled to prior to the divorce due, can hurt you in the distribution of the marital assets even though the inheritance is not marital. One of the factors that the court considers in determining how to distribute marital assets is the separate estate of the other party at the time of the distribution. If you have a large inheritance, this could lead the Master in Divorce or the Judge to decide that you deserve less of the marital estate than they otherwise would award you if you had no inheritance.

It is important if you think that your spouse may have an inheritance, that you gather that information prior to the divorce by way of public record of a probated estate, or by production request, or interrogatories.

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Post-Judgment Relief

Most agreements submitted to the court for enforcement or final judgments made by the court are difficult to change. There is the option of an appeal or motion for reconsideration within a certain time frame following the decision. The argument at that time is usually that a wrong decision was made based on the evidence presented or there was some error of law. The remedies available for possible modification or amendment to final orders or agreements become more limited as time progresses.

Under NJ Court Rule 4:50, the following are examples of instances where relief on the basis of a post-judgment motion may be pursued: (1) mistake, inadvertance, surprise or excusable neglect; (2) newly discovered evidence which is likely to alter the judgment/order and could not have been previously discovered with due diligence; (3) fraud or misrepresentation by the opposing party; (4) judgment or order is now void; (5) judgment/order has been satisfied, released or discharged or it is simply no longer equitable for the judgment/order to have prospective application; and (6) any other reason justifying relief.

There are still time limits to consider. Request for relief under the first three instances must be within a year after entry of the judgment or order. Relief under the remaining three grounds must be within a reasonable time which is interpreted to mean in a timely basis after discovery of the facts giving rise to the application. This option for post-judgment relief is often sought in family law matters as it relates to final judgments of divorce and equitable distribution provisions. Relief is only to be granted upon a showing of exceptional circumstances with specific emphasis on an unconscionable change in circumstances; otherwise, parties will be held to what they agreed to or were ordered to do within the court’s discretion.

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How to Approach Debt in a Divorce

When you are getting divorced, most debt, with a few exceptions, accumulated during the divorce is marital debt regardless of the name on the debt. The first step in approaching your debt is to find out what you have. I recommend that you start by obtaining your free credit report. You can obtain one from each of the three major credit bureaus once a year. It may be a good idea to stagger it every three or four months so you can pull one from each throughout the year. Review your credit report to obtain balances, or identify accounts you either did not know about or forgot about. You should also have a title clerk do a search on your real estate to make sure there are no unknown liens on your house.

Next, compile an organized binder with a list of all your debts and start organizing your statements. You will want to obtain the statements of balances as of the date of your separation. You will also then want to start saving copies of cancelled checks and statements after your date of separation so that you can seek credit for payment of marital debt where it is allowed. In addition, you want to save the statements to show you did not increase the marital debt.

If you find yourself in a situation where you are unable to pay all the debt, you may want to consult with a bankruptcy attorney who can not only help you determine if it is a good idea, but may also be able to guide you in recovering money from creditors.

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Who provides health insurance during/after the Divorce?

When the parties are married, usually, one of the parties carries the health insurance for the parties and any minor children. The Court keeps the status quo as much as possible while the divorce is pending. If you are carrying insurance for your spouse, you cannot drop them until the divorce is final. Health Insurance is an issue that arises in support court through Domestic Relations. As long as health insurance is available at a reasonable cost through work, that parent will be required to provide health insurance for the children.

If both parents are working and both parents have health insurance available for the children through work, then the Court will look at the cost of the plans and the benefits provided to determine which makes more economic sense. If there is a plan that is relatively cheap but provides for a high deductible, this may not be the best plan if the children have routine issues. It is important to not only look at monthly premium, but the deductibles, the special medical needs of the children, the cost of the copays for a doctor visit, specialist visit, etc. in order to determine which plan is better.

Whichever plan is chosen is paid by the parent through their employment and a portion of the cost for the children is reimbursed through the child support order. If you are the parent who provides health insurance and are receiving child support, you will get this portion included in addition to your basic support amount. If you are the parent who provides health insurance and are paying child support, then it will appear as a credit off of the basic child support that you pay.

The party who receives child support will be required to pay the first $ 250 per year per child of unreimbursed, out of pocket medical expenses. Once the $ 250 dollar point is reached, the order will allocate any remaining bills to be shared in proportion to income. It is the responsibility of the parent receiving support to document and provide proof of expenses to the other parent. Failure to pay these expenses can result in a contempt order. If there are significant, routine medical expenses, you can request that they be factored into the basic support.

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