Grounds for Divorce

Pennsylvania recognizes both fault and no-fault grounds for divorce. Fault grounds include willful desertion, adultery, cruelty, and bigamy. Couples may also file for divorce based on a no-fault ground: the irretrievable breakdown of the marriage.

Read More:

Property Division 

Upon divorce, courts in Pennsylvania will equitably divide the marital assets between two spouses. A judge will decide what is fair and just by evaluating several factors, including the length of the marriage, prior marriages of either party, each party’s needs and resources, each party’s contribution to the marriage, and the standard of living established during the marriage. Any property that was acquired during the marriage will be presumed to be marital property regardless of how title was held.

Read More:

Alimony

Either spouse may request an alimony award from the other spouse. To decide whether to award alimony, the court looks at each party’s earning capacities, income, assets and liabilities, and the parties’ physical, emotional, and mental conditions. For example, if the parties are relatively equal in earning capacity, needs, and resources, it is unlikely that the court will grant alimony. However, if one party was the homemaker and contributed to the household by supporting the other spouse’s education or training, the court is more likely to grant a request for alimony.

Read More:

Child Custody

The court will use the best interests of the child standard when determining custody. This means that the court will consider the following factors: which parent would be more likely to encourage continuing contact between the child and the other parent; whether there has been family abuse or a history of drug or alcohol abuse by either parent; which parent would provide a more loving and stable environment; and any other factors the court considers important.

Read More: