Many Georgia residents have witnessed firsthand the emotional and financial challenges inherent in a divorce. The stakes are higher for couples when the divorce involves children, high-value assets and division of property. During this often-contentious time, divorcing spouses may try to come to an agreement on these aspects of divorce before involving the court system. One NFL football player is now facing the challenges of divorce after being served divorce papers by his spouse.
Football player Chad Johnson recently received a petition to divorce from his wife, Evelyn Lozada. It was reported early on in this case that Johnson was refusing to sign the divorce papers because he believed the marriage could still work. This was despite the fact that there had been an alleged head-butting altercation between the two and a judge had issued a no-contact order for Lozada.
More recently, though, there is word that Johnson (who also uses the moniker Ochocinco) has signed the divorce papers ending the couple's 41-day marriage.
While a certain element of fault may be in play in the dissolution of the Johnson-Lozada marriage, it does not need to be the case in Georgia. Our state is considered a no-fault state, which means that the spouse who is filing for divorce does not have to prove that the other spouse committed any sort of fault. In no-fault states, the other spouse cannot object to or stop a no-fault divorce from proceeding.
If couples are unable to work out a settlement agreement on issues such as child custody, child support and property division, through the various forms of alternative dispute resolution, the courts are available to facilitate the proceedings. Regardless of the route taken to achieve divorce, the help of experienced legal counsel is advisable.