A court can order one spouse to make monthly payments of support to the other spouse when a couple legally separates or files for a dissolution.  These payments are known as spousal support. These monthly payments used to be referred to as “alimony.”  To begin a spousal support order, one of the following cases must be filed: an annulment, a dissolution, a legal separation or a domestic violence restraining order.

The state of California is a “no fault” state, which means that a spouse does not have to prove the other spouse did something wrong. Moreover, it is not necessary for both spouses to agree to end a marriage.The first spouse to file a Petition for dissolution is called the “Petitioner,” and the other spouse is then the “Respondent.”  Once the petition to commence a dissolution is filed, the other spouse has thirty days after he or she is served to file their response. The respondent cannot stop a dissolution process even if he or she does not agree or want a dissolution.

Dissolution commonly known as a Divorce ends a marriage. Alongside of the disagreements, emotional hurt, and separation, the legal aspect of it alone can be quite overwhelming. Most people would not know where to even begin the process of a divorce. And it can become more stressful trying to figure out who gets what assets and valuables and who’s going to finish paying off certain debts. Of course the most difficult part of divorce is who do the kids live with and how much time should they spend each parent.