Domestic Violence

questions & answers

Question: Must a petition for dissolution of a non-covenant marriage contain a statement that there has or has not been domestic violence during the marriage?

Answer: In Arizona, a spouse of a covenant marriage may only file for divorce (dissolution) if the other spouse has done one of the following: - Committed adultery - Committed a serious crime and has been sentenced to death or imprisonment - Abandoned the marital home for at least a year before filing - Has physically or sexually abused the spouse, a child, a relative of either spouse living in the home or has committed domestic violence or emotional abuse - Lived apart and separate for more than two years - Has not gotten back together a year after a legal separation was granted - Regularly abuses drugs or alcohol - Agreed to get a divorce Arizona courts have produced a brochure about covenant marriage that might be helpful: http://www.azcourts.gov/Portals/31/Other%20DR/covenant.pdf