Marriage is a formal, legal commitment to spend a lifetime with a specific person. Divorce is the often complicated legal process through which people suffer that obligation. Plenty of people go through rough patches in their marriages, but not all couples recover after going through a difficult period together.
In some cases, continuing to live together or share financial resources can be all but impossible due to spouses no longer having a healthy dynamic or misconduct from one spouse that could endanger the entire family. Those thinking about divorce are often unsure if they have a valid legal justification to end a marriage.
What grounds does Indiana permit when people file for divorce?
No-fault divorces are common
While it is easy to point fingers during divorce proceedings, doing so is likely to increase the level of conflict between spouses. Many people prefer to pursue no-fault divorces rather than attempt to prove fault during family court proceedings.
In a no-fault divorce, one spouse asserts that there has been an irretrievable breakdown of the marital relationship. They do not need to present evidence about the state of their relationship to the courts. Instead, no-fault divorce proceedings primarily focus on practical matters that are necessary to separate the lives of the spouses.
However, Indiana is among the states that allow for fault-based divorce filings. The courts may grant fault-based divorces sought based on grounds including:
- felony convictions during the marriages
- impotence at the time of marriage
- incurable insanity lasting two years or longer
Pursuing a fault-based divorce can be cathartic in some cases. They can also help people more effectively address the practical implications of different types of significant marital issues.
Spouses can theoretically choose to divorce at any time, even without any compelling evidence. People preparing to petition the courts or divorce may need help evaluating their options and gathering the documentation necessary to file for divorce, and that’s okay.
