TONY AND RHODEY GOT MARRIED IN COLLEGE, DIDN’T KNOW IT WAS BINDING UNTIL TONY AND PEPPER TRIED TO APPLY FOR A MARRIAGE LICENSE, AND THE PERSON WAS LIKE UM ACCORDING TO THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS YOU’RE ALREADY MARRIED AND TONY’S LIKE??? OH SHIT, I MARRIED RHODEY BUT I DIDN’T KNOW THAT WAS LEGIT AND PEPPER’S LIKE YOU HOW DID YOU NOT KNOW YOU AND JAMES WERE… OMG CALL JAMES
I DON’T KNOW HOW IT WAS LEGAL AT THE TIME PEPPER IT WAS 1992
It gets better.
No-fault Divorce in Massachusetts Massachusetts is different from many other states, in that it provides two options to obtain a no-fault divorce. These are designated in the state divorce law as 1A and 1B. The reason for the divorce is the same in both: irretrievable breakdown of the marriage, which basically means the spouses are no longer compatible and there’s no reasonable chance of that changing. The distinction between the two options lies in the procedure you must follow to reach your goal of obtaining a divorce judgment. To successfully pursue a 1A divorce, both spouses have to agree that the marriage is irretrievably broken, and sign a sworn statement to that effect. Additionally, they must have a notarized separation agreement. This is a document that contains the terms the spouses have agreed to in resolving their divorce issues, such as child custody, parenting time (visitation), child support,spousal support (alimony), and division of marital property (like the marital home, furnishings, and bank accounts). The law provides a streamlined process for a 1A divorce, because it’s completely uncontested—the spouses have agreed to everything. If a couple hasn’t reached an agreement, a spouse can still proceed on a no-fault basis, under a 1B divorce. But the procedure in this scenario is more complicated and time-consuming. The spouse who is seeking the divorce has to file a written complaint with the court, then have a copy of it formally delivered to the other spouse. That other spouse can then file a response to the complaint. The divorce then methodically moves forward as a contested case.
So either they have to sit down and draw out the whole document or they send complaints back and forth until they do.
