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                        |  | Divorce
In Pennsylvania, a marriage can be ended in one of two ways: annulment or divorce. The attorneys of Notaro & Associates, P. C have experience representing clients looking to terminate their marriage, throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania. When an annulment is granted, it is treated as if the marriage did not exist. While it is difficult to successfully petition for an annulment, some grounds for doing so include: a marriage where one or both parties has a serious mental illness, bigamy, incestuous relationship, one party is underage, a party was under the influence of drugs or alcohol when they married, the existence of duress, or the existence of fraud. Pennsylvania requires that one party must reside in the state for at least 6 months prior to filing. Generally, a divorce or annulment can be filed in the county in which one of the parties resides. Most spouses terminate their marriage through divorce. In Pennsylvania, divorce is separated into fault and no-fault, and contested and uncontested categories. If the parties agree and are filing a non fault based divorce, and it is uncontested, there is a ninety day waiting period between filing and service the Complaint and asking the court to grant the divorce. In the event that one party does not agree to the divorce, i.e., it is "contested," there is up to a required 2 year separation period before the party seeking the divorce can move forward. In either case, the Pittsburgh divorce lawyers of Notaro & Associates, P.C. are skilled and able to advise clients of the steps necessary to obtain a divorce. Fault based divorces can be based on any of the following grounds: imprisonment for two or more years, mental health or institutionalization of a spouse, bigamy, conduct that makes a spouse's life burdensome or intolerable, adultery or voluntary sex with a non-spouse, cruel and barbarous treatment or physical abuse, and desertion or absence from the home without justification for a year or longer. Even if a spouse is at fault, and one of the above grounds is used to obtain a divorce, he or she will have an opportunity to raise defenses. These defenses include provocation, insanity, and/or condonation. The attorneys of Notaro & Associates have years of experience and can recommend the most appropriate path for each client depending on their particular situation. To learn more about filing for an annulment or divorce, or to schedule a FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION, please contact our office. Notaro & Associates, P.C. | |
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Annulment and Divorce