The clearest advantage to filing for divorce first is that at trial the Petitioner gets to present his/her evidence first. Thus, the Petitioner has the advantage of being able to decide which witnesses to call first at trial and the order in which they will be called.
Does Pennsylvania require separation before divorce?
According to the law, there is no required waiting period in Pennsylvania before you can file for a divorce. However, it is vital to establish a date of separation. A legal separation is determined by the date you and your spouse begin living separate and apart.
Do both parties have to agree to a divorce in Pennsylvania?
All of the following must be true for a no-fault consent divorce in Pennsylvania: The marriage is irretrievably broken. All financial matters are resolved between spouses. All parties fully agree to the divorce.
What happens when one spouse doesn’t want divorce in Pennsylvania?
However, if your spouse refuses to consent to a no-fault divorce, your divorce will be considered contested, and you will need to move forward with a fault based divorce. Unfortunately, this means that your divorce will likely take longer to finalize and cost significantly more than your no-fault divorce would have.
What are the disadvantages of filing for divorce?
- You Show Your Hand. As the filing spouse, you file the first document. This is called a Complaint for Divorce.
- You Pay More. Because you filed first you must serve your spouse with the Complaint for the divorce. To properly serve your spouse you will need a process server.
Is it better to be the petitioner or the respondent in a divorce?
There is no advantage or disadvantage to being either the petitioner or respondent. They are simply terms to make it easier to refer to each party during the divorce process.
Is PA a 50/50 divorce state?
COMMON LAW. Pennsylvania is not a 50/50 common law state. PA law requires divorcing couples to equitably divide the marital property. This means that the division of marital property should be based on fairness utilizing a set of enumerated factors in the PA Divorce Code.
How much is a wife entitled to in a divorce in PA?
Pennsylvania uses guidelines to begin the process of determining alimony, but several factors could cause the amount to either go up or down. In general, if there are no children in the marriage, the requesting spouse is entitled to 40% of his or her spouse’s income, minus their own income.
Who is entitled to alimony in PA?
Am I entitled to alimony in PA? No, there is no entitlement to alimony in Pennsylvania. Instead, it’s purely discretionary with the court, and based on 17 factors listed in Section 3701 of the PA Divorce Code.
Who pays for divorce in PA?
Generally speaking, you’re on your own for your legal fees. In certain cases wherein one party has a very good income and the other party is low or no income, it is possible to ask the Court to have the well-to-do party pay the other’s legal fees.
Is dating during separation adultery in PA?
Is it okay to date when you’re separated? It is okay, providing you do it right. If you start seeing someone else before you and your spouse decide to divorce or before you physically separate, it is considered adultery.
How long does the average divorce take in Pennsylvania?
Divorce in Pennsylvania can take between 90 days and 12 months on average, depending on whether it is a fault or a no-fault one. The mandatory waiting period for a no-fault marriage dissolution is 90 days. The average contested divorce takes 5-12 months, and an uncontested one – around 4-6 months.
How long can a spouse drag out a divorce in Pennsylvania?
After twelve consecutive months of separation, however, our law says that either party can force the divorce to completion. (BUT that does not apply to a LOW-COST, simple, uncontested, no-fault divorce. In THAT type of divorce, BOTH parties MUST sign no matter how long they may have been separated.)
How long do you have to pay spousal support in PA?
While there’s no easy answer, a good rule of thumb is 1 year of alimony for every 3 years of marriage. If you’ve been married for 15 years, a good rule of thumb to think is about probably 5 years of alimony.
Do you need a reason to get divorced in PA?
There are 6 fault grounds for divorce in PA: adultery, desertion, cruel treatment, bigamy, imprisonment of more than 2 years, and indignities. The no-fault grounds for divorce in Pennsylvania are irretrievable breakdown and mutual consent. A person who initiates the divorce is called a Plaintiff.
Who pays for a divorce?
There appears to be a myth that the person being divorced (known as the Respondent) always pays the fees for a divorce, when in reality this is not the case in the majority of divorce cases. The person filing for the divorce (known as the Applicant) will always pay the divorce filing fee.
Who files for divorce more often?
Either spouse can start the divorce process, but divorce statistics show that, in opposite-sex couples, 63% of divorce petitions are filed by the wife.
What happens after divorce papers are signed?
Once the Judge grants your divorce you are for all practical purposes divorced from that moment on divorced. Usually in about two weeks the Decree of Divorce will be available at the Court Registrar and your attorney will collect it and arrange that you get a copy of the decree.
Who is the applicant in a divorce?
The person who initiates the joint application is called applicant 1 and their spouse is called applicant 2. Applicant 1 pays the court fee and completes most of the application form.
How many grounds are there for divorce?
What are the grounds for divorce? When you file for divorce, you need to prove that your marriage has ‘irretrievably broken down’. There are currently five grounds for divorce that you can use as evidence to prove this: Adultery.
What is the difference between a petitioner and respondent?
“Petitioner” refers to the party who petitioned the Supreme Court to review the case. This party is variously known as the petitioner or the appellant. “Respondent” refers to the party being sued or tried and is also known as the appellee.
What is the average cost of a divorce in PA?
The average cost of divorce in Pennsylvania state is approximately $14,300. The expenses can reach $21,500 if there are children or property involved. The average filing fees in Pennsylvania are $350.
How much is alimony in PA?
The formula used in the state of Pennsylvania states that the receiving spouse must receive 40 percent of the difference between the spouses’ net incomes on a monthly basis. If the couple has children, the formula is altered to 30 percent of the net income difference.
How is debt split in a divorce in PA?
Under Pennsylvania’s marital property laws, both spouses are responsible for the debt acquired during the course of the marriage, regardless of who incurred the debt. In the court’s view, a debt is considered to be “marital” as long as it was acquired after the marriage took place, but before the separation.
Is PA a no-fault state for divorce?
Pennsylvania is a no fault divorce state. There are two types of no-fault divorce processes in Pennsylvania: mutual consent and separation. A mutual consent divorce is available when both parties are willing to agree that the marriage is irretrievably broken and consent to the divorce.