NEW: Rhode Island Named Worst State for Divorce
Monday, September 26, 2011
If you're not married, stay single. If you're married, you might want to stay that way. And if you live elsewhere and are looking for a quick divorce, scratch the Ocean State off your list.
Rhode Island has been named one of the worst states for a divorce, according to Splitstown, an online source for divorcing folks.
Splitstown's John Hood took a look at the two central aspects in the divorce process: residency requirement and alimony laws. While Rhode Island did not figure into the best or worst category for alimony, it came up in the "worst" category for residency requirement.
According to Hood, while every state imposes a residency requirement on spouses, some states make couples wait a long time while other have requirements so short that he likens them to the "quickie" Mexican divorces popular in the 1960s.
The worst: Rhode Island, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, South Carolina
Things are tight in RI, along with five other states where spouses must have claimed residency in the state for at least a year. Further, Rhode Island requires that one spouse be a domiciliary, meaning they physically live here in a primary residence.
"A year is a long period of time," says Hood, "especially when you're going through a divorce or separation."
The best: Nevada and Idaho
Both western states require that a spouse live in the state for a mere six weeks before filing for divorce (in Idaho, Hood says, the filing spouse has to be the one who meets the requirement). Which actually makes those states divorce destinations. They are the #1 and #4 most popular states in which to get unhitched.
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