Contested Divorce

Contested Divorce, Grounds for Divorce, How Long for a Divorce in Atlanta, Georgia

Contested divorces traditionally involve situations where the parties cannot agree on some major point such as property division, alimony, custody, child support, or attorney's fees. Often in these cases there are grounds for the divorce other than irreconcilable differences, such as domestic violence or substance abuse. The attorneys at Meriwether & Tharp will guide you through the process with all the resources of the law firm available to insure that you achieve a fair and equitable agreement.

In Georgia, the grounds for divorce are:

• The marriage is irretrievably broken

• Adultery in either of the parties after marriage

• Willful and continued desertion by either of the parties for the term of one year

• Cruel Treatment, which shall consist of willful infliction of pain, bodily or mental, upon the complaining party, such as reasonably justifies apprehension to life, limb, or health

• Habitual intoxication

• Habitual drug addiction, which shall consist of addiction to any controlled substance as defined in Article 2 of Chapter 13 of Title 16

• Intermarriage by persons within the prohibited degrees of consanguinity or affinity

• Mental incapacity at the time of the marriage

• Impotency at the time of marriage

• Force, menace, duress, or fraud in obtaining the marriage

• Pregnancy of the wife by a man other than the husband, at the time of the marriage, unknown to the husband

• The conviction of either party for an offense involving moral turpitude, under which he is sentenced to imprisonment in a penal institution for a term of two years or longer

• Incurable mental illness

"The question of "How long will this divorce take?" is probably one of the most frequently asked questions. The short answer is that it depends upon the willingness of both parties sitting down and negotiating a settlement in their case. It takes two parties to settle the divorce and to have it move as expeditiously and economically as possible. It only takes one person to drive up the costs and length of time it takes to get a divorce.

You can rely on Meriwether & Tharp to guide you through difficult divorce and family law situations. To speak to a member of our team, you can call our office or e-mail us to schedule an appointment to meet with someone on our family law team.