Divorced couple tries to undo their divorce, fails

Continuing our legal separation theme from last week, today we have a story about a once-married, now-divorced couple in New Hampshire that was trying to undo their divorce. The couple was married in 1989, and for 24 years they stayed that way. But in 2014, they decided it was time to call it quits. Their irreconcilable differences were just too much, and they filed for divorce.

Less than a year after their divorce was finalized, the couple was back together and they formally filed to vacate their divorce. But a judge hearing their case couldn’t undo their divorce because the law doesn’t allow such a change. If they were allowed to revoke the divorce, it would jeopardize the legitimacy of divorce in general.

This has sparked a very interesting conversation among many people about the nature of love, divorce and the law. While it may seem like such an arbitrary standard, this really is an important ruling. Divorces really aren’t “undone” unless fraud is involved.

The reason we highlight this story is because it links back to legal separation. In a sense, this couple went through a “separation” even though they really divorced. Couples who legally separate are still married, but they live apart and can get a sense of what it will be like if they were divorced. If they feel the separation wasn’t helpful or if the separation helps them realize that they want to be with their spouse, then they can end the separation and try to work things out. Alternatively, you can divorce if the separation confirms the feelings the two of you had when you entered the separation.

Source: Huffington Post, “Sorry, You Can’t Get Un-Divorced In New Hampshire,” Lynne Tuohy, AP, Dec. 28, 2015