The time before, during and after a divorce is a tough time. Unfortunately, some states make it a little harder than they need to be. Whether it's antiquated laws or long processing times, divorce is a hard enough situation without the built-in roadblocks some of the 50 states put petitioners through.
With this in mind, ABC news went out and found the seven states where divorce is the most onerous. We read through them, and we can definitely agree about the way California treats its future exes. We've come up with three common areas the group ABC News put together dings tens of thousands of future former-Mr. and Mrs. in California, Arkansas, South Carolina, Vermont, Rhode Island, New York and Nebraska.
Filing Fees While not a completely overwhelming amount, the divorce filing fees are sometimes a deterrent to some of those who want to get divorced but can't. The obvious big states for filing fees — New York and California — come in as the most expensive on the list, with $335 and $395 respectively.
Separation When you want to get divorced, you don't want anything to do with your future ex. Most states won't let that happen because there needs to be a filing period, but these states are the most draconian in their laws. The worst, may be Arkansas, where there is a mandatory 18-month period of separation and any co-habitation during that period will reset the clock.
Processing Time It's not bad enough that there's a forced separation period couples have to go through, but then there's the added time in processing that most states build in to get your paperwork through the courts. Rhode Island and Vermont are the worst on this front, with a
minimum 510 and 540 days, respectively.
For more:
Top 7 Worst States for Divorce (ABC News)
Photo courtesy Flickr/ arcticpenguin