Can you Cite your own Adultery when Divorcing your Spouse?
07 Jan, 2019 Adultery
When filing for a divorce, it is necessary to prove that the marriage has irretrievably broken down. In order to do this, one of five reasons for this breakdown must be cited. These are:
- Two-year separation with consent;
- Five-year separation;
- Desertion;
- Unreasonable behaviour; and
- Adultery
Of these reasons, both of the non-fault-based (separation) grounds are straightforward and are reliant on no facts other than the date of separation; desertion is, due to complexities, rarely used and utilising unreasonable behaviour is, thanks to the courts willingness to accept a wide variety of examples, easier than you might think. There are, however, a number of misunderstandings regarding adultery that, at times, make the task of obtaining a divorce on this grounds problematic.
A spouse that partook in sexual activity with someone of the same sex would not be engaging in adultery in the eyes of the law, for example. Even if they were to engage in sexual activity with a member of the opposite sex, it’s only legally considered to be adultery if this included intercourse. In our experience, though, the most common myth concerning adultery-based divorce is that the party that applies for the divorce (known as the Petitioner) can rely on their own adultery.
Why you can’t rely on your adultery
Whatever reason is stated as being behind the irretrievable breakdown of the marriage, it is automatically deemed to be why the Petitioner now finds it intolerable to live with their spouse. As a result, should someone cite their own adultery, they essentially claim that their infidelity has led to them finding it intolerable to remain with their spouse – the courts simply will not accept this.
Alternatives to adultery
If you intended to rely on your own adultery when requesting that the courts grant you a divorce, there are two clear alternatives: rely on unreasonable behaviour or let your spouse file for a divorce reliant on your adultery.
Should I accept fault in divorce proceedings?
Contrary to popular belief, should a spouse accept any examples cited in a Divorce Petition relying on a fault-based ground as true, they will not then be forced to pay court fees, subjected to less favourable treatment when they separate their assets or be denied access to their children.
In truth, the courts recognise that, whilst one spouse may be accepting that they’re at fault, this does not mean they, alone, are exclusively to blame for the marriage and the grounds have no bearing on matters as a result.
Related Reading
Can you Change the Reasons for your Divorce?
21 Jan, 2019
Sometimes, a divorce application cannot proceed because of the grounds cited and it may be necessary to change these. One common scenario under which it’s necessary to do so comes about when a couple initially agree to a divorce and, following the process having started and the petition citing two-y...read more
Reasons
Reducing the Cost of your Divorce: the Court Fee
01 Apr, 2019
Divorce is never cheap but, if you do your research, the cost can be reduced. So, with this in mind, we’ll be preparing a series of posts where we discuss the various ways people can save money on theirs, starting with the court’s fees. If you receive any of these benefits, you won’t need to pay th...read more
Cost, Court Fees
How Long does it take Courts to Issue a Decree Absolute?
04 Feb, 2019
With divorce being one of the most stressful things a person can experience – even when they and their spouse have been living separately for several years – they generally want it finalised as quickly as possible. As a direct result, queries regarding timescales are amongst the questions we answer...read more
Decree Absolute, Nisi
Our Services
Fixed Fee
We believe that, when it comes a life-changing event like divorce, expert assistance should be available to everyone. This is why all of our services are overseen by a solicitor from start to finish.
Fixed Fee Plus
Our Solicitor Divorce Plus service has all of the benefits of our Solicitor Divorce Service but with the added benefit of financial security thanks to a bespoke Consent Order.
Fixed Hourly Rate
At Solicitors Divorce Online, we ensure that all of our processes and procedures are streamlined. Because of this and our continuous adoption of the latest technologies, we are able to ensure our overheads are as low as possible.