States And Foreign Countries With Weird Divorce Laws

Sometimes, politicians get creative and pass what most people would consider some very strange laws. This even happens in the divorce arena. Here are some weird divorce laws that either still exist or once existed.

New York: If you can prove that your spouse has been incurably mentally ill for at least five years, then you can be granted an annulment. Yet, although technically an annulment means that the divorce was never valid, you could still be required to pay spousal maintenance.

Alabama: After a divorce, a wife is allowed to retain all the property she owned prior to the marriage as well as any property she may have acquired after the marriage. This provision does not apply to the husbands of a marriage.

Tennessee: If your spouse tries to kill you in a “malicious” manner, then you can file for a divorce.  However, the law doesn’t specify what constitutes “malicious”.

Delaware: If you can show that you married because someone dared you to do so, then your marriage can be annulled.

Kansas: In parts of Kansas, just because a spouse treated their mother-in-law poorly, does not allow you to get a divorce.

Kentucky: You can marry the same person up to three times, but, that is the limit. You cannot marry the same person four times.

Several States: In several states, you can sue a third-party for their actions that led to the failure of your divorce. Typically, this is used to sue the person who had an affair with your husband or wife.

And for some foreign laws that qualify as a bit strange:

Australia:  An aboriginal woman can get divorced fairly easily in Australia. An aboriginal woman can: (1) simply marry someone else (while still married to husband number one); (2) elope with someone else; or (3) or talk their husband into getting a divorce.

Eskimos: Eskimos also seem to have it easy in getting a divorce. All they have to do is find a new “igloo” (a new home or residence), that is if they live separate from their spouse, they are considered divorced.

Japan: In Japan, after a divorce, a women has to wait at least 6 months before they remarry. This law does not apply to men, so in theory, one day after their divorce, Japanese men can get remarried.

Saudi Arabia: For you coffee drinkers out there, here is one divorce law to watch out for: If a husband fails to give her wife fresh coffee, the wife can file for a divorce.

Vatican and the Philippines: No surprise, you can’t get divorced in the Vatican. This also applies to the Philippines.

In New York, almost all divorces are based on the grounds of irretrievable breakdown in the relationship for a period of at least 6 months – not so weird or strange. If you need a divorce attorney, then contact David Badanes and the Badanes Law Office, they have represented clients in their weird or not-so-weird divorces.

David Badanes, Esq. has the experience to guide you through your divorce on Long Island. Contact 631-239-1702 or email at david@dbnylaw.com to set up an appointment. We have offices in Northport, Garden City, Brooklyn and Manhattan.

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