WEIRD DIVORCE LAWS
Let’s be honest: divorcing your spouse can be a strange, bewildering experience, but who would have thought it would lead to so many odd laws? The cities, states and countries below are home to divorce laws that are so unusual, they’ll have you scratching your head.
- In cases of what’s called “alienation of affection” — when a third party is held responsible for the failure of a marriage — New Mexico and Mississippi give scorned spouses the right to sue their ex spouse’s lover for damages.
- In Kentucky, it’s illegal to remarry the same person four times, so residents of the state would do well to think twice before taking a repeat trip down the aisle.
- In Wichita, Kansas, it’s written into law that a man’s mistreatment of his mother-in-law can’t be used as grounds for divorce.
- Marriage is no laughing matter for most people, but in Delaware, a couple can file to have their union annulled if they entered into it as a “jest” or “dare.”
- In Tennessee, claiming that your spouse made an attempt on your life “by poison or any other means showing malice” is grounds for divorce.
- England doesn’t have a no-fault divorce law, so about half of all divorcing couples are left scrambling to find a reason for citing “unreasonable behavior.” Some past causes for splits, according to a recent New York Times feature, include a man who filed simply because he was fed up with his wife making tuna for dinner, and a woman who filed after her husband wanted her to dress up in a “Star Trek” Klingon costume.
Although Pennsylvania hasn’t adopted any of these strange laws found in other states, the laws governing divorce issues are constantly changing so if you or someone you know needs assistance with this aspect of your divorce, please contact LaMonaca Law at (610) 892-3877.
