Divorce Definitions

Annulment The legal dissolution of a marriage. In an annulment, the marriage is treated as though it never existed. Age of Majority Attained upon one's eighteenth birthday. However, a child support order will remain in effect beyond attainment of eighteen as long as the child continuously attends an accredited high school on a full time basis, the child is determined to be mentally or physically disabled by the court, or both parents have agreed to continue support after the age of 18 and it is incorporated in a divorce decree. Mediation A non-adversarial process in which a neutral third party acts to encourage and help disputing parties reach a mutually acceptable agreement. May not be a good option when domestic violence is present. Buccal Swab A recognized form of genetic testing used to determine paternity, which involves a q-tip type instrument for collecting saliva from individuals submitting to testing. Abandonment When a parent leaves a child without enough care, supervision, support, or parental contact for an excessive period of time. Reimbursement Alimony Reimbursement alimony, as the name implies, is designed to reimburse one spouse for expenses occurred by the other. Absolute divorce A divorce in which the marriage is completely dissolved and both parties become single. Domestic Violence Petition This form serves as your application for a protective order; after obtaining one from the courthouse clerk, completing and returning it, it will be reviewed by a judge. Reasonable visitation A form of visitation in which the parents work out a schedule of visitation for the non-custodial parent. Child Support An amount of money under a court or administrative order that is due and owed by the non-custodial parent for the support of the parent's child(ren).

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	Did You Know?
	About my ex-spouse visitation rights Unless the court has granted a modification of the visitation arrangement, then you can not and should not deny visitation! Denying visitation is one of the biggest mistakes made by most custodial parents. You may believe you have a justifiable reason for denying the visitation rights, but by law your are not permitted to do so.