Divorce Definitions

Contested Divorce A divorce where the parties are unable or unwilling to come to a mutual agreement. Temporary alimony A type of alimony payment that is made to one spouse pending separation or divorce proceedings. Domestic Violence Petition This form serves as your application for a protective order; after obtaining one from the courthouse clerk, completing and returning it, it will be reviewed by a judge. Orders of Notice Notice ordered by the court requiring the party who filed for divorce to ensure that the other party is served by a sheriff with copies of the "Petition for Divorce". Residual Physical Custodial Rights A custody agreement when one parent is awarded visitation by a pre-arranged schedule worked out between the parents or the courts. Mediation A non-adversarial process in which a neutral third party acts to encourage and help disputing parties reach a mutually acceptable agreement. May not be a good option when domestic violence is present. Annulment The legal dissolution of a marriage. In an annulment, the marriage is treated as though it never existed. Uncontested Divorce A divorce where both parties are able to make a mutually agreed-upon arrangement. Lump-Sum Alimony Lump-sum alimony or alimony in gross refers to alimony that is a fixed payment that generally will be made regardless of circumstances that would be a basis for termination of other types of alimony. Absolute divorce A divorce in which the marriage is completely dissolved and both parties become single.

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	Did You Know?
	An annulment is a court ruling that a supposed marriage was never valid. One of the most common grounds for annulment is fraud. For example, one person may have not disclosed to the other a prior divorce, a criminal record, or an unwillingness to have sexual intercourse. An annulment also may be granted may if one of the parties to the "marriage” was still married to someone else at the time of the marriage that is at issue. Other bases for annulments include marriage of an underage person, marriage to too close a blood relative, and marriage by a person under duress as the time of marriage.