Judgment for Divorce

A judgment for divorce is the court order issued by the court to terminate a marital contract. Prior to a judgment for divorce, one spouse must file a complaint with the court. The other spouse has a chance to respond to the complaint. Other issues must be resolved prior to granting the divorce such as child custody and spousal support arrangements and property distribution. After the details of the divorce are finalized a divorce judgment is issued.

In some states if a spouse receives a divorce complaint but fails to respond, the state will issue a default divorce judgment after a specified time period. Most experts recommend taking several steps before asking for a judgment for divorce or filing a divorce petition. For instance, a spouse may want to seek marital counseling, evaluate their finances and consider child custody and child support issues prior to divorce.