Kendall County No-Fault Divorce Attorney

Information Regarding Grounds From an Experienced Aurora No-Fault Divorce Lawyer

For decades, Illinois was "fault state" regarding a divorce. As a fault state, Illinois required parties seeking a divorce to claim grounds, i.e., assign blame. These grounds were:

• Impotency
• Polygamy
• Adultery
• Desertion/abandonment
• Habitual drunkenness
• "Gross and confirmed habits" brought about by malice, drug use, attempted murder or other felony conviction, or the infection of the other spouse with sexually transmitted disease
• Attempted murder of the other spouse
• Extreme and repeated mental/physical cruelty
• Conviction of a felony
• Infection involving a sexual disease
• Excessive use of addictive drugs

In 2016, Illinois law changed, and the above grounds are no longer recognized in divorce cases. Instead, Illinois is now a "pure no-fault divorce" state.

What Is a Pure No-Fault Divorce?

"No-fault" divorce means a spouse no longer needs to blame the other spouse when seeking a divorce. Now, the only grounds that are accepted for divorce in Illinois are "irreconcilable differences." This means that a couple's marriage has broken down beyond repair, and any attempts to reconcile would not be in the best interests of the family. If both parties agree that there are irreconcilable differences, they may complete their divorce with no waiting period.

What These Changes Mean

Because Illinois is now a pure no-fault divorce state, married couples can now divorce efficiently and affordably and without acrimony.

I am Aurora divorce lawyer Matthew M. Williams of The Law Office of Matthew M. Williams, P.C., and I can provide needed information and representation regarding the divorce process, as well as child custody, spousal maintenance, child support, and other divorce-related matters. For more information, please call 630-409-8184 or simply contact me online to schedule a consultation.