Filing for divorce involves a lot of moving parts that all require decisions. When beginning the process, one of the first you have to make is the grounds or reason for the divorce.
Georgia has two ways you can go when giving the court an explanation. You may want to consider a no-fault divorce, which means you merely need to express your belief that there is no chance of reconciliation. However, under the law, you may also choose to give a more specific reason if one exists.
What are the grounds for divorce?
State statutes allow you to file for divorce after six months of residency, and once you do file, it also gives you 13 items to choose from when citing the grounds for the action. Any one of these may form the basis for your fault-based divorce claim.
Infidelity
A commonly cited cause of divorce is infidelity. If you have evidence that your spouse was unfaithful, you may choose this category.
Criminal conviction
A spouse may wind up behind bars after committing a criminal act. If your spouse is serving time for a crime, you may ask the judge for a divorce.
Chemical addiction
When a spouse becomes addicted to drugs or alcohol, it can end a marriage. You may choose this against a partner with a proven record of addiction.
Other grounds for divorce include:
- Mental illness
- Physical or emotional abuse
- Desertion
- Fraud
What is the point of citing a reason for divorce?
If you produce evidence supporting the grounds for your divorce, it may work in your favor. For instance, if your partner cheated and used marital assets to enable the affair, a judge may grant you more during the property division stage.
Getting a favorable resolution to your divorce may take time and patience.
