Ohio Divorce Information and FAQ
The State of Ohio permits judgements of divorce and dissolution of
marriage to be granted upon the following grounds: 1. Bigamy 2. Willful
absence of the adverse party for one year 3. Adultery 4. Extreme cruelty
5. Fraudulent contract 6. Gross neglect of duty 7. Habitual drunkenness 8.
Imprisonment of the adverse party 9. Procurement of a divorce outside the
State by a party which releases the party who obtained it from the
obligations of marriage while the obligations remained binding on the
other party 10. Living separate and apart without cohabitation for one
year without interruption 11. Incompatibility of the parties. § 3105.01
Residency requirements In actions for divorce in the State of Ohio, the
filing party must have resided in the State of Ohio for at least six
months immediately prior to the filing of the complaint. In addition, the
filing party must have resided in the county in which the complaint is
filed for at least ninety days immediately prior to the filing of the
complaint. In actions for dissolution of marriage, the filing party must
have resided in the State of Ohio for at least six months immediately
prior to the filing of the petition for dissolution. §3105.03,3105.62,
CivR 3
Name of court and title of action/parties Actions for divorce and
dissolution of marriage are filed in the Court of Common Pleas. The title
of the action initiating an action for divorce is a Complaint, while the
title of an action initiating an action for dissolution of marriage is a
Petition. The title of the action granting the divorce is a Decree of
Divorce, and the title of the action granting the dissolution of marriage
is a Decree of Dissolution of Marriage. The filing party is known as the
Petitioner if the action is for dissolution and the Plaintiff if the
action is one for divorce. The other party in an action for dissolution is
referred to as the Co-Petitioner, and if the action is for divorce, the
Defendant. § 3105.011
Legal separation The State of Ohio permits jusgements of legal
separation to be granted upon the following grounds: 1. Bigamy 2. Willful
absence of the adverse party for one year 3. Adultery 4. Extreme cruelty
5. Fraudulent contract 6. Gross neglect of duty 7. Habitual drunkenness 8.
Imprisonment 9. Living separate and apart without cohabitation for one
uninterrupted year 10. Incompatibility. § 3105.17
Simplified divorce procedure If the parties agree to all terms, they
may jointly file a petition for dissolution of marriage. The petition must
be signed by both parties and have attached a separation agreement
providing for division of property, spousal support, allocation of
parental rights, visitation and custody, and child support. Both parties
must appear before the court and if the court is satisfied with the
parties' testimony and the terms of the agreement, the court will grant
the dissolution of marriage. § 3105.63
Alimony Either party may be ordered to pay alimony to the other spouse
after consideration of the following factors: 1. The income of the parties
2. The relative earning abilities of the parties 3. The ages and physical,
mental and emotional condition of the parties 4. The retirement benefits
of the parties 5. The duration of the marriage 6. The extent to which it
would be inappropriate for a party to seek outside employment due to
custody of a minor child 7. The standard of living established during the
marriage 8. The relative extent of education of the parties 9. The
relative assets and liabilities of the parties 10. The contribution of
each party to the education, training, or earning ability of the other
party 11. The time and expense necessary for the spouse seeking alimony to
aquire education, training or job experience to enable that spouse to
obtain appropriate employment 12. The tax consequences to the parties 13.
The lost income production capacity due to marital responsibilities 14.
Any other relevant factor. § 3105.18
Distribution of property In making a division of marital property, the
court shall consider all of the following factors: 1. The duration of the
marriage 2. The assets and liabilities of the spouses 3. The desirability
of awarding the family home, or the right to reside in the family home for
reasonable periods of time, to the spouse with custody of the children of
the marriage 4. The liquidity of the property to be distributed 5. The
economic desirability of retaining intact an asset or an interest in an
asset 6. The tax consequences of the property division upon the respective
awards to be made to each spouse 7. The costs of sale, if it is necessary
that an asset be sold to effectuate an equitable distribution of property
8. Any division or disbursement of property made in a separation agreement
that was voluntarily entered into by the spouses 9. Any other factor that
the court expressly finds to be relevant and equitable. § 3105.171
Child Custody Custody of minor children of the marriage will be
determined according to the child's best interest. Factors the court will
consider in determining the best interests of the child include: 1. The
wishes of the child's parents 2. The wishes of the child 3. The child's
interaction and interrelationship with parents, siblings and any other
person who may significantly affect the child's best interest 4. The
child's adjustment to home, school and community 5. The mental and
physical health of all involved 6. Which parent is more likely to honor
and facilitate court- approved parenting time rights or visitation and
companionship rights 7. Whether either parent has failed to make all child
support payments, including arrearages 8. Whether either parent has been
convicted of a criminal offense which resulted in the child being an
abused or neglected child 9. Whether the residential parent has
continuously and willfully denied the other parent's right to parenting
time in accordance with a court order 10. Whether either parent has
established a residence or is planning to establish a residence outside of
the State of Ohio. § 3109.04
Child support In any action in which a court child support order is
issued or modified, the court or agency shall calculate the amount of the
obligor's child support obligation in accordance with the basic child
support schedule. The court or agency shall specify the support obligation
as a monthly amount due and shall order the support obligation to be paid
in periodic increments as it determines to be in the best interest of the
children. The amount of child support that would be payable as calculated
pursuant to the basic child support schedule is rebuttably presumed to be
the correct amount of child support due. The court may order an amount of
child support that deviates from the amount of child support that would
otherwise result from the use of the basic child support schedule if the
court determines that the amount calculated pursuant to the basic child
support schedule would be unjust or inappropriate and would not be in the
best interest of the child. If it deviates, the court must enter in the
journal the amount of child support calculated pursuant to the basic child
support schedule, its determination that that amount would be unjust or
inappropriate and would not be in the best interest of the child, and
findings of fact supporting that determination.
Factors the court will consider in determining whether to grant a
deviation from the child support guidelines include:
1. Special and unusual needs of the children;
2. Extraordinary obligations for minor children or obligations for
handicapped children who are not stepchildren and who are not offspring
from the marriage or relationship that is the basis of the immediate child
support determination;
3. Other court-ordered payments;
4. Extended parenting time or extraordinary costs associated with
parenting time, provided that this division does not authorize and shall
not be construed as authorizing any deviation from the schedule and the
applicable worksheet, through the line establishing the actual annual
obligation, or any escrowing, impoundment, or withholding of child support
because of a denial of or interference with a right of parenting time
granted by court order;
5. The obligor obtaining additional employment after a child support
order is issued in order to support a second family; 6. The financial
resources and the earning ability of the child;
7. Disparity in income between parties or households;
8. Benefits that either parent receives from remarriage or sharing
living expenses with another person;
9. The amount of federal, state, and local taxes actually paid or
estimated to be paid by a parent or both of the parents;
10. Significant in-kind contributions from a parent, including, but not
limited to, direct payment for lessons, sports equipment, schooling, or
clothing;
11. The relative financial resources, other assets and resources, and
needs of each parent;
12. The standard of living and circumstances of each parent and the
standard of living the child would have enjoyed had the marriage continued
or had the parents been married;
13. The physical and emotional condition and needs of the child;
14. The need and capacity of the child for an education and the
educational opportunities that would have been available to the child had
the circumstances requiring a court order for support not arisen;
15. The responsibility of each parent for the support of others;
16. Any other relevant factor. § 3109.05
Conciliation/mediation The court may, on its own motion or on motion of
one of the parties, order the parties to undergo conciliation. If children
are involved, the court may order the parties to take part in family
counseling during the course of the proceedings or for any reasonable
length of time. § 3105.091 Name change When a divorce is granted the
court of common pleas shall, if the person so desires, restore any name
that the person had before the marriage. § 3105.16
|
(Customer Pays Shipping &
Handling)
