{"id":1852,"date":"2018-10-04T13:19:02","date_gmt":"2018-10-04T13:19:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/?p=1852"},"modified":"2022-03-18T17:10:52","modified_gmt":"2022-03-18T17:10:52","slug":"no-fault-divorce-owens-v-owens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/index.php\/2018\/10\/04\/no-fault-divorce-owens-v-owens\/","title":{"rendered":"No Fault Divorce &#8211; Owens v Owens"},"content":{"rendered":"<h4><a href=\"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/No-Fault-Divorce-1.jpg\"><img data-attachment-id=\"1905\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/index.php\/2018\/10\/04\/no-fault-divorce-owens-v-owens\/no-fault-divorce-3\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/No-Fault-Divorce-1.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"800,595\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1209839065&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/No-Fault-Divorce-1-300x223.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/No-Fault-Divorce-1.jpg\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1905\" src=\"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/No-Fault-Divorce-1.jpg\" alt=\"No Fault Divorce\" width=\"800\" height=\"595\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/No-Fault-Divorce-1.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/No-Fault-Divorce-1-300x223.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/No-Fault-Divorce-1-768x571.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>Why is no fault divorce in the news?<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>The Government is\u00a0considering no fault divorce because our current system isn&#8217;t working well. If you want to\u00a0divorce you have to rely on a reason:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Adultery<\/li>\n<li>Unreasonable behaviour<\/li>\n<li>Two years separation with consent<\/li>\n<li>Desertion<\/li>\n<li>Five years separation without consent<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Unsure which reason to rely on? See my blog <a href=\"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/index.php\/2018\/01\/20\/grounds-for-divorce\/\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Grounds for divorce \u2013 5 things you need to know<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<h4><strong>Why has the Government decided to look at no fault divorce?<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.resolution.org.uk\/news-list.asp?page_id=228&amp;page=1&amp;n_id=385\" target=\"_blank\">Resolution<\/a><\/em>\u00a0(an organisation committed to the constructive resolution of family disputes) has been lobbying for no fault divorce for years. And the case of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.supremecourt.uk\/cases\/uksc-2017-0077.html\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Owens v Owens<\/em><\/a>\u00a0has\u00a0been in the news.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>What is Owens v Owens about?<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Mrs Owens wants to divorce her husband. She\u00a0gave twenty seven examples of\u00a0his unreasonable behaviour: he is moody, argumentative and disparaging. But he defended the divorce saying\u00a0the marriage wasn\u2019t over, and he disputed the behaviour his wife had mentioned.<\/p>\n<p>The Judge disagreed with Mr Owens &#8211; the marriage was clearly over &#8211; but he said the examples of behaviour were flimsy and exaggerated and Mrs Owens could not have her divorce. This meant she would have to stay married to Mr Owens. She appealed.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>What happened when Mrs Owens appealed?<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>On 25 July 2018 the Supreme Court said the Judge\u00a0was right when he said her reasons weren&#8217;t good enough. But the Supreme Court also said it felt \u201cuneasy\u201d and that \u201cParliament may wish to consider whether to replace a law which denies to Mrs Owens \u2026 a divorce\u201d.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>What\u2019s the solution for Mrs Owens?<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>She will have to stay married to Mr Owens until they have lived apart for five years.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>What is the Government doing?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>The Ministry of Justice has published a consultation paper, <a href=\"https:\/\/consult.justice.gov.uk\/digital-communications\/reform-of-the-legal-requirements-for-divorce\/\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Reform of the legal requirements for divorce<\/em><\/a>. They are asking whether divorce should simply be on the ground of irretrievable breakdown with no need to mention reasons. And whether the ability to \u2018defend\u2019 a divorce should end. The consultation closes 10 December.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Why is no fault divorce a good idea?<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>Angry spouses won&#8217;t be able to block divorces<\/li>\n<li>People won&#8217;t have to stay married when they don&#8217;t want to<\/li>\n<li>There will be less conflict<\/li>\n<li>Couples will be able to concentrate on\u00a0what is best for the children<\/li>\n<li>They will be more likely to reach an amicable agreement about the finances, by negotiation, mediation or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/collaborative-law\" target=\"_blank\"><em>collaborative law<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Our current divorce system dates to 1969. We live in a very different society and women are seen as equal partners in a marriage<\/li>\n<li>Legal bills will be lower<\/li>\n<li>There will be fewer contested divorces. Our Courts are stretched and so this might make everything\u00a0a bit better for all of us<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><strong>Is no fault divorce going to make more people divorce?<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>The breakdown of a relationship is hard enough as it is without the Court procedure adding to the difficulties. And in reality couples often agree how to word their divorces. \u201cI\u2019ll admit to adultery,\u201d or \u201cYou can mention that unreasonable behaviour.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Why is divorce an important stage in agreeing the finances?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>A Court order finalising the finances is only available once the first divorce decree has been granted (the &#8220;decree nisi&#8221;).\u00a0Hence it\u2019s a good idea to sort out the divorce and the finances at the same time. See my blog <a href=\"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/index.php\/2018\/02\/23\/what-comes-first-divorce-or-settlement\/\" target=\"_blank\"><em>What Comes First Divorce Or Settlement<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<h4><strong>Can I do the divorce myself?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Yes. But if you are struggling read my blog <a href=\"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/index.php\/2017\/09\/07\/10-reasons-why-you-need-a-family-law-solicitor-to-check-your-divorce-petition\/\" target=\"_blank\"><em>10 reasons why you need a family law solicitor to check your DIY divorce petition<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<h4><strong>No Fault Divorce<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Contact\u00a0 Joanne Houston on 01962 217640 for\u00a0<strong>free<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>advice<\/strong>\u00a0on\u00a0any of the issues raised in this blog.\u00a0In this 20 minute session we will review your situation and how you can achieve your objectives.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/about-us\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">JUST FAMILY LAW<\/a>\u00a0are specialist divorce and family law solicitors offering\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/index.php\/2017\/06\/02\/pay-as-you-go-divorce-family-law-costs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">personalised legal solutions<\/a>.\u00a0We offer\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/index.php\/2017\/11\/29\/collaborative-law-uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">collaborative law<\/a>\u00a0which is especially relevant in providing\u00a0solutions tailored to your family\u2019s needs. This includes same sex couples and their families. Visit our website\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">just-family-law.com<\/a>\u00a0The topics covered in this blog post are complex and are provided for general guidance only. Therefore if any of the circumstances mentioned in this blog have application to you, seek expert legal advice.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>image Couple by Muramasa on <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Couple_01.JPG\" target=\"_blank\">Wikimedia<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Why is no fault divorce in the news? The Government is\u00a0considering no fault divorce because our current system isn&#8217;t working well. If you want to\u00a0divorce you have to rely on a reason: Adultery Unreasonable behaviour Two years separation with consent Desertion Five years separation without consent Unsure which reason to rely on? See my blog [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1905,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[101],"tags":[307,390,77,393,304,302,392,391,539,193],"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1852"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1852"}],"version-history":[{"count":55,"href":"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1852\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5402,"href":"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1852\/revisions\/5402"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1905"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1852"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1852"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.just-family-law.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1852"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}