West Virginia No-Fault Uncontested Agreed Divorce Package for Dissolution of Marriage with Adult Children and with or without Property and Debts
Notes: This
section contains guidelines based on selected divorce statutes from West
Virginia. Some may not be relevant to your case but are presented here
as a general overview. The selections set out below are not intended to
be an all-inclusive statement of statutes but rather contain commentary
based on some selected statutes.
Grounds for Divorce
Grounds 1. and 2. are "no-fault" grounds. This means the fault
of one party in destroying the marriage is not at issue.
2. Spouses have been living separate and apart without cohabitation
and without interruption for 1 year.
There are several other recognized grounds for divorce in West Virginia:
Residency
At least one of the spouses must have been a resident of West Virginia
for at least 1 year immediately prior to filing for divorce. However, if
the marriage was performed in West Virginia and one spouse is a resident
when filing there is no durational time limit. The case should be filed
in the county in which the spouses last lived together, or the county where
the defendant currently lives, or the county where the plaintiff lives
if the defendant is a non-resident.
Legal Separation
An option for parties who do not desire a final divorce is to obtain
a legal separation as recognized by West Virginia law. The grounds for
legal separation are the same as for divorce. One of the spouses must have
been a resident of West Virginia for at least 1 year prior to filing for
legal separation.
Property Division
West Virginia is an "equitable distribution" state, generally meaning
that all marital property acquired during the marriage is subject to division.
Property brought into the marriage or property that a person had before
the marriage is not subject to division in a divorce. To prove that you
had property that should be considered non-marital property you need to
show that you either owned it before marriage, it was a gift to you from
someone besides your spouse and was only meant for you, or that you inherited
it. The court will determine what is non-marital property before proceeding
with the case.
Marital property, on the other hand, will be divided in just proportions,
most likely equally. Even if one spouse stayed home and cared for the house
and the children, most courts will consider that an equal contribution
to the relationship and thus that spouse will be awarded an equal share
of the property. It is best for you and your spouse to agree on which spouse
takes what piece of property; it simplifies the entire process. If settlement
is unlikely, you will need to determine the value of each and every piece
of property that you own. If you do not agree with your spouse on the values,
a court appointed appraiser will have to value the goods, and it is likely
that they will appraise it at an amount lower than you would like. All
debts acquired during marriage will be considered marital property and
should be distributed likewise.
The court may adjust the division of property based on the following
factors:
1. The contribution of each spouse to the acquisition of the
marital property, including the contribution of each spouse as
homemaker and in child-care;
4. The conduct of the spouses during the marriage only as
it relates to the disposition of their property;
5. The value of the labor performed in a family business
or in the actual maintenance or improvement of tangible marital
property;
6. The contribution of one spouse toward the education or
training of the other which has increased the income-earning ability
of the other spouse;
7. The foregoing by either spouse of employment or other
income-earning activity through an understanding of the spouses or at
the insistence of the other spouse;
Spousal Support (or "Alimony")
Alimony payments are designed to help with financial obligations
of the receiving spouse and to maintain a similar lifestyle to that enjoyed
during the marriage. The lifestyle can not remain exactly the same due
to the paying spouse typically having to maintain two households for a
period of time. Since a majority of spouses both work, rewarding alimony
is not extremely common although it does exist. Most of the time alimony
is rewarded for a short period of time just to help the receiving spouse
get on his or her feet again. This is known as rehabilitative alimony and
can be used to finish a degree or get enough training so sufficient income
can be earned on one's own accord.
The factors the court will consider are:
1. Whether the spouse seeking alimony is the custodian of
a child whose condition or circumstances make it appropriate
for that spouse not to seek outside employment;
2. The time and expense necessary to acquire sufficient education
and training to enable the spouse to find appropriate employment,
and that spouse's future earning capacity;
4. The comparative financial resources of the spouses, including
their comparative earning abilities in the labor market;
11. The educational level of each spouse at the time of the marriage
and at the time the action for divorce is commenced;
12. The cost of education of minor children and of health care
for each spouse and the minor children;
The marital misconduct of the spouses will be considered and compared.
Alimony may be reduced or may not be awarded to any spouse who: (1) was
adulterous; (2) has been convicted of a felony during the marriage; or
(3) deserted or abandoned his or her spouse for 6 months. The court may
require health and/or hospitalization insurance coverage as alimony.
Child Custody
Most parents agree about the custody, child support, and visitation
issues relating to their children. Joint custody arrangements have become
common place and in some states the "norm" in determining the care, custody
and support of children. If the parents are unable to 'work it out', a
judge will ultimately decide these issues for the parents. However, before
a judge makes any final decision, the parents will likely be sent to mandatory
mediation to attempt to work out child custody and visitation between the
two of them.
If a judge is forced to make custody decisions, he or she will base the decision on genuine evidence, like medical opinions. The judge
will also take into account history of child abuse and drug and alcohol
addictions. Furthermore, the judge will consider any protective orders
that have been issued to help determine what is in the best interest of
the child. This is the ultimate factor that the court uses to determine
the award of custody.
Either parent may be awarded custody. There is a presumption in
favor of the parent who has been the primary caretaker of the child. There
are no other factors for consideration specified in the statute. Furthermore,
there is no specific statutory provision in West Virginia for joint custody.
Child Support
Child support is the amount that the court determines should be
paid from the non-custodial parent to the custodial parent to help maintain
the children until they reach age 18. Child support determinations can
only be altered if there has been a substantial and significant change
in the circumstances relating to the children.
Either parent may be required to provide periodic child support
payments, including health insurance coverage. The following factors
specified in the statute are:
1. Whether the spouse seeking support is the custodian of
a child whose condition or circumstances make it appropriate for that
spouse not to seek outside employment;
2. The time and expense necessary to acquire sufficient education
and training to enable the spouse to find appropriate employment,
and that spouse's future earning capacity;
4. The comparative financial resources of the spouses, including
their comparative earning abilities in the labor market;
11. The educational level of each spouse at the time of the marriage
and at the time the action for divorce is commenced;
12. The cost of education of minor children and of health care
for each spouse and the minor children;
In West Virginia one of the parents may also be granted exclusive
use of the family home, and all of the goods and furniture necessary to
help in the rearing of the children. The court may require many things
including health and hospitalization insurance coverage as child support.
Provisions for wage garnishment shall be included in every divorce decree
to guarantee the support payments. Child support guidelines are available
from the West Virginia Child Advocate Office. These guidelines are presumed
to be correct, unless it is shown that the amount is unjust or inappropriate
under the particular circumstances of a case.
Premarital Agreement
West Virginia's laws specifically allow the husband and wife to
make contracts with each other and to be held liable for these contracts.
The contract must be in writing and signed by the parties to be enforceable.
The terms of the agreement are binding on the court unless if finds it
unconscionable.