Tuesday, February 07, 2006

things i learn reading the newspaper*

In the NYT:
"By not allowing couples to end their marriages by mutual consent, New York has kept some of the strictest barriers to divorce in the nation. Currently, one party in the divorce must allege cruel and inhuman treatment, adultery, or abandonment — literal or sexual — for a year."
New York doesn't have no fault divorce? Really? And, people are always trying to pass it off as so civilized.

* Online, of course. I will never subscribe to a print newspaper ever again, as I have declared a permanent War on Paper.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

no print newspaper? sunday mornings will never be the same. coffee - check. comfortable chair - check. on-line version of the NYT over traditional print - never.

Anonymous said...

Woody Allen has a standup routine from the early 60s about this. He talks about wanting a divorce from his wife, then about the NY laws, and then says, "So this left me with a moral dilemma, because the bible says 'Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery', but New York State says you have to."

I didn't know those were still the rules, though.

Tonya said...

NY does have no-fault divorce but it's a more cumbersome than the no-fault laws in most states.

To quality for a no-fault divorce, the parties must be: (1) living separate and apart for 1 year under the terms of a separation agreement which is in writing or (2) living separate and apart for 1 year under the terms of a judicial separation decree. [Consolidated Laws of New York Annotated; Domestic Relations Law, Article 10, Section 170 and Article 13, Section 230].

Many people don't want to be subject to the one year waiting requirement (which presumably is in place to encourage the couple to reconcile).

To avoid that restriction, the couple has to proceed with a fault-based ground for divorce. The fault based grounds in NY are: (1) adultery; (2) abandonment for 1 year; (3) imprisonment for 3 or more consecutive years; and (4) cruel and inhuman treatment.

Anonymous said...

No more dirty hands. huh?

Anonymous said...

Online, the only way to read newspapers. Unless it's the Manson Journal-Herald.

Anonymous said...

I have declared a permanent War on Paper.

You posted this just to remind us of your table PC, right?;)