2. In the United States, a couple can be legally
married in any state, and any married
couple can also arrange a legal divorce in
any state. To begin the divorce process, one
of the married individuals must file for
divorce in the county courthouse in which he
or she resides. By doing so, a permanent
legal record is created.
3. What is a Permanent Divorce Record?
A divorce record is a legal document that legally
dissolves a marriage. It is a court
document, usually drawn up by attorneys, that
states the reason for the divorce and all the
settlement agreements. Through this document, a
married couple can have full legal protection of
each individual’s interests. All assets acquired
during the marriage are split, and spousal support
payments are calculated, as well as child support
payments if there are minor children resulting
from the marriage.
4. Divorce processes differ from state to state.
However, one person usually begins the process by
filing a lawsuit and petitioning the court for the
divorce. He or she then becomes the ‘Petitioner,’
while the other spouse becomes the
‘Respondent.’ With the help of a lawyer, the
petitioner can state his or her demands from the
divorce. The respondent usually has a certain time
period to respond, and if no response is made, then
the court will usually grant the divorce to the
petitioner with all demands set forth.
5. If the respondent wishes to contest the
divorce, or dispute the proposed settlement
agreement, then litigation is involved where
the two sides must negotiate a mutual
agreement. If no settlement can be
made, then the divorce goes to trial, where a
judge will make the final decisions.
6. Once a final settlement made, the
final divorce decree is
created, filed, and signed by the
county judge assigned to the case.
This creates a public record of the
terms of the divorce.
7. What Is Included In a Divorce Record?
The legal divorce record will have the following
information:
Full legal names of the petitioner and respondent
The date that the divorce was filed
The location where the divorce was filed
The date the divorce became final
8. Other information that may be included:
Credit card balance information from each
individual
Other debt disclosures
Income tax returns
A list of all assets and how they are divided
Payment calculations and arrangements for spousal
support and/or child support
9. How Can Divorce Records Be Useful?
Divorce records can usually be
accessed by the public unless the
decree has been sealed by court
order.
10. Legal divorce records can be useful in a number of ways.
Here are just a few:
Verify that an individual is legally divorced
Verify whether an individual was previously married
Useful for helping to locate an individual
Uncover previous spousal abuse
Discover history of illegal acts
11. Thanks to our current digital age, public
records, such as a divorce records, can be easily
searched and accessed with the help of a
background check company. Or you can do the
research yourself for much less money.
