Divorce Definitions

Joint custody A form of child custody that grants both parents joint legal custody, joint physical custody, or both joint legal custody and joint physical custody. Supervised visitation A form of visitation in which an adult supervisor must be present when the child is visiting with the non-custodial parent. Domestic Violence Petition This form serves as your application for a protective order; after obtaining one from the courthouse clerk, completing and returning it, it will be reviewed by a judge. Mediation A non-adversarial process in which a neutral third party acts to encourage and help disputing parties reach a mutually acceptable agreement. May not be a good option when domestic violence is present. Alimony A payment made by one spouse to another pending divorce or separation. Uncontested Divorce A divorce where both parties are able to make a mutually agreed-upon arrangement. Paternity The determination of who the father of a child is in order to arrange child custody and child support in the event of a divorce. Temporary alimony A type of alimony payment that is made to one spouse pending separation or divorce proceedings. Contested Divorce A divorce where the parties are unable or unwilling to come to a mutual agreement. Legal Separation A court order arranging the terms (custody, support, etc.) under which a married couple will live separately. This addresses the same issues as divorce, but does not completely dissolve the marriage.

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	Did You Know?
	About my ex-spouse visitation rights Unless the court has granted a modification of the visitation arrangement, then you can not and should not deny visitation! Denying visitation is one of the biggest mistakes made by most custodial parents. You may believe you have a justifiable reason for denying the visitation rights, but by law your are not permitted to do so.