City Bar Testifies in Support of No-Fault Divorce

The Matrimonial Law Committee provided testimony at a public hearing entitled "No-Fault Divorce and Matrimonial Law Reform" sponsored by the Senate Standing Committee on Judiciary, Senate Standing Committee on Crime Victims, Crime and Correction and the NYS Senate Majority Task Force on Domestic Violence. Represented by former Matrimonial Law Committee Chair Pamela Sloan, the City Bar urged the enactment of S.3890, which would "allow for a judgment of divorce to be granted when a marriage is irretrievably broken for a period of at least six months, but only after resolution of issues such as the distribution of marital property, spousal support, child support, payment of counsel fees, and custody and visitation." New York is the only jurisdiction in the country that requires that fault - such as cruel and inhumane treatment, adultery or abandonment - be proven before a divorce can be granted.