North Carolina Divorce
Information and FAQ
A divorce may be granted in North Carolina based upon the incurable
insanity or mental illness of one of the spouses, or upon the parties
living separate and apart for a period of one year without cohabitation.
50-5.1, 50-6 Residency requirements At least one of the parties to the
action for divorce must have resided in the State of North Carolina for at
least six months immediately prior to the institution of the action for
divorce. 50-5.1, 50-6
Venue An action for divorce may be filed in the county where either
party resides. 50-3
Name of court and title of action/parties A Complaint for divorce is
filed in either the Superior or District Court. The title of the action
initiating the divorce proceeding is the Complaint for Divorce, while the
title of the action granting the divorce is the Decree of Divorce. The
party filing the action for divorce is the Plaintiff, while the other
party to the action is referred to as the Defendant.
Simplified divorce procedure If the parties are seeking a divorce based
upon the parties having lived separate and apart without cohabitation for
a period of at least one year, and the parties have agreed to all terms of
the divorce, leaving no issues to be decided by the court, the court may
grant the divorce, finding all requisite facts from nontestimonial
evidence presented by affidavit, verified motion or other verified
pleading. It shall not be necessary to allege in the complaint that the
grounds for divorce have existed for at least six months prior to the
filing of the complaint. A party seeking to obtain a divorce under this
provision may, at any time after the expiration of 30 days from the
commencement of the action or after service of a motion for summary
judgment by the adverse party, move with or without supporting affidavits
for a summary judgment in his favor upon all or any part thereof. The
motion shall be served at least 10 days before the time fixed for the
hearing. The adverse party may serve opposing affidavits at least two days
before the hearing. If the opposing affidavit is not served on the other
parties at least two days before the hearing on the motion, the court may
continue the matter for a reasonable period to allow the responding party
to prepare a response, proceed with the matter without considering the
untimely served affidavit, or take such other action as the ends of
justice require. For the purpose of this two-day requirement only, service
shall mean personal delivery, facsimile transmission, or other means such
that the party actually receives the affidavit within the required time.
The judgment sought shall be rendered forthwith if the pleadings,
depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together
with the affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to any
material fact and that any party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of
law.
Supporting and opposing affidavits shall be made on personal knowledge,
shall set forth such facts as would be admissible in evidence, and shall
show affirmatively that the affiant is competent to testify to the matters
stated therein. Sworn or certified copies of all papers or parts thereof
referred to in an affidavit shall be attached thereto or served therewith.
The court may permit affidavits to be supplemented or opposed by
depositions, answers to interrogatories, or further affidavits. When a
motion for summary judgment is made and supported as provided in this
rule, an adverse party may not rest upon the mere allegations or denials
of his pleading, but his response, by affidavits or as otherwise provided
in this rule, must set forth specific facts showing that there is a
genuine issue for trial. If he does not so respond, summary judgment, if
appropriate, shall be entered against him. 50-10, G.S..1A-1, Rule 56
Legal separation The court may grant a judgement of separation from bed
and board (legal separation) on the following grounds: 1. Abandonment of
spouse or family; 2. Maliciously turning the other spouse out of doors; 3.
Cruel or barbarous treatment endangering the life of the other; 4.
Personal indignities rendering condition of other spouse intolerable and
life burdensome; 5. Excessive abuse of alcohol or drugs; 6. Adultery. 50-7
Alimony Either party may be awarded alimony upon a finding that the party
seeking alimony is dependant upon the other party for support and such an
award would be equitable. Fault of the parties as it pertains to adultery
during the marriage is considered when awarding alimony. Other factors the
court will consider in determining the amount and duration of an award of
alimony include:
1. Marital misconduct; 2. Relative earnings and earning capacities of
the parties; 3. The ages, physical, mental and emotional health of the
parties; 4. The amount and sources of income of both spouses; 5. The
duration of the marriage; 6. The contribution of one spouse to the
education, training or increased earning power of the other spouse; 7. The
extent that serving as a child's custodian will affect a party's earning
power, etc.; 8. The standard of living established during the marriage; 9.
The relative education of the parties and the time necessary for a party
to acquire sufficient education or training to meet his or her reasonable
needs; 10. The relative assets and liabilities of the parties; 11. Any
other relevant factor. 50-16.3A
Property division The court shall divide the marital property equally
between the parties unless the court determines that such a division is
not equitable. Factors the court will consider in dividing the marital
property between the parties include: 1. The income, property, and
liabilities of the parties; 2. Any obligation for support from a previous
marriage; 3. The duration of the marriage and the age, physical and mental
health of the parties; 4. The needs of the custodial parent; 5. The
expectation of pension, retirement or other deferred compensation rights
that are not marital property; 6. The contribution to the decation or
earning potential of the other spouse; 7. Any other factor the court deems
just and proper.
Mediation Whenever the court determines that custody is a contested
issue in a divorce proceeding, the court shall order the parties to
participate in a mediation program if one is available to the parties.
The purpose of mediation is to:
1. Reduce acrimony that exists between the parties; 2. The development
of custody and visitation agreements that are in the child's best
interests; 3. To provide the parties with informed choices and to give the
parties the responsibility for making decisions about custody and
visitation; 4. To provide structured, confidential, non-adversarial
setting to facilitate the resolution of disputes; 5. To reduce the
relitigation of custody and visitation disputes. 50-13.1
Child custody Custody will be determined according to the best
interests of the child. There is no presumption that one parent is better
suited to promote the best interests of the child. Factors the court will
consider in determining the child's best interests include: 1. Acts of
domestic violence between the parties; 2. The safety of the child; 3. The
safety of either parent from acts of domestic violence of the other
parent.
An order of child custody may also contain provisions for visitation
rights for any grandparent of the child. 50-13.2
Child support Either parent may be ordered to pay child support in such
amounts reasonable for the health, education, and maintenance of the
child, after consideration is given to the estates, earnings, conditions,
accustomed standard of living of child and parents, child care and other
related issues.
North Carolina has enacted guidelines which establish the amount of
support presumed to be correct. The court may deviate from the guidelines
however, upon a finding that the application of the guidelines would be
unjust or inappropriate under the particular facts of the case. If the
court does deviate from the guidelines, it shall state its reasons for
doing so in its order.
The court shall also order a party to provide health insurance for the
child if such insurance is reasonably available. 50-13.4, 50-13.11
Name change Either party may petition the court to permit that party to
resume the use of a former or maiden name. 50-12
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