The approach to divorce varies by jurisdiction. Among of the basic approaches to divorce is the no-fault divorce. No-fault divorce is a divorce in which the dissolution of a marriage requires neither a showing wrong-doing of either party nor any evidentiary proceedings at all.



The no-fault divorce is granted upon a petition by either party to a family court, without requiring the petitioner show that the respondent is at fault, and despite respondent's potential objections to the dissolution. One of the countries where the no-fault divorce got popular is in the United States. Learn more of this with the st. louis divorce lawyer.

The no-fault divorce "revolution" began in 1969 in California, and was completed in 1985. Modern United States "no-fault" divorce came about in the 1970s because of widespread disgust among lawyers and judges at the legal fictions that had become commonplace since the mid-20th century.

Prior to the no-fault divorce revolution, a divorce could be obtained only through a showing of fault of one of the parties in a marriage. This was something more than not loving one another; it meant that one spouse had to plead that the other had committed adultery, abandonment, felony, or other similarly culpable acts. Visit the st. louis divorce lawyer for more information about divorces.

However, the other spouse could plead a variety of defenses, like recrimination, essentially an accusation of "you too". A judge could find that the respondent had not committed the alleged act or the judge could accept the defense of recrimination and find both spouses at fault for the dysfunctional nature of their marriage. Either way, the judge would refuse to dissolve the marriage.

The requirements were particularly problematic where both spouses were at fault or where neither spouse had committed a legally culpable act but could no longer tolerate the other. Lawyers began to advise their clients on how to bypass the requirements.

One such method was referred to as "collusive adultery", in which both sides deliberately agreed that the wife would come home at a certain time and discover her husband committing adultery with a "mistress" obtained for the occasion.

The wife would then falsely swear to a carefully tailored version of these facts in court. The husband would admit a similar version of those facts. The judge would convict the husband of adultery, and the couple could be divorced.

By late 1983, every state but South Dakota and New York had adopted some form of no-fault divorce. South Dakota finally adopted no-fault divorce in 1985. New York still lacks a unilateral "no-fault" divorce statue; under New York divorce law only if both parties notarize a separation agreement and live separately for one year, can a judge convert it into a divorce. For more information about divorce and its approaches including the no-fault divorce, then visit the st. louis divorce lawyer for more details.