Tennessee
Divorce Residency Requirements To Get Divorce In Tennessee
To file for divorce in Tennessee, at least one of the following requirements must be met:
The plaintiff or defendant must have lived in the state for at least 6 months before filing the complaint. Or, If the person is a member of the armed forces and not a resident of the state, they will have to have been stationed in the state for at least one year.
Reasons For Divorce In Tennessee
The most common ground for divorce in the state of Tennessee is irreconcilable differences between the parties. This is a no-fault ground for divorce and does not require proof.
Other grounds are allowed; however, they may require proof or additional testimony. These grounds are:
- Either party, at the time of the contract, was and still is impotent and not capable of procreation
- Either of the parties has knowingly entered into a second marriage
- Adultery by either party
- Willful or malicious desertion or absence of either party, without a reasonable cause, for one (1) whole year
- Conviction of a crime that renders the party infamous
- Conviction of a felony that ends in imprisonment
- Either party has attempted to kill the other, by poison or any other reason
- Being willfully absent from a spouse who lives in Tennessee for at least two years
- A woman was pregnant at the time of marriage by another person, without the knowledge of the husband
- Habitual drunkenness or abuse of drugs, such as narcotics, when the spouse has contracted the habit after the marriage began
- Either party is guilty of cruel and inhumane treatment, also known as inappropriate marital conduct
- A spouse offering indignities to make marriage intolerable
- Abandonment or turning the spouse out of the house for no just reason
- For two or more years the parties have lived separately without cohabitation
Custody Of The Children In Tennessee
The state will award joint or sole custody in a divorce case, based on what would be in the best interests of the child. If the parents are able to work together and come up with an acceptable custody agreement, this will be given high priority. In addition, the wishes of a sufficiently mature child will be considered.
Tennessee Child Support Guidelines
The standard state-ordered child support guidelines in Tennessee apply in almost every case. Both parents’ gross incomes and child-related expenses are considered when the support order is calculated. The duty to support will continue until emancipation. This can occur through a legal action by the child turning 18 or upon his or her graduation from high school, whichever comes first.