Nevada: The Go-To Divorce Destination?
If you’re considering divorce, you might be interested to know that Nevada was the leading state for divorce for decades. In the 1930s and into the 1960s, it was the go-to destination for spouses to bring their marriages to a close. The state had some of the easiest divorce laws on the books for that period. All you needed to do was live in Nevada for at least six weeks, and you’d be granted a divorce.
There were nine primary grounds by which Nevada would offer divorces in the 1930s. Those reasons were:
- Adultery
- Impotency
- Felony conviction
- Desertion
- Alcoholism
- Insanity
- Failure to provide common life necessities
- Mental cruelty
- Living apart
Spouses were not required to give proof of any of the above grounds. They merely had to claim it, and they received the divorce they desired. This put Nevada on the map a destination for divorces, which were much more difficult to get approved in other states at the time.
Standard procedure was to travel to Nevada, spend the required six weeks on a dude ranch contemplating your life, and then get a divorce. During the 1930s, experts estimate the local economy in Nevada benefited from about $5 million a year in revenue from divorcing dude ranchers.
These days, the law in Nevada is a little different. You have to satisfy one of the following three conditions to qualify for a divorce:
- Insanity for two years or more
- Incompatibility
- Living separately for over one year
Are you ready for a divorce? There are a lot of things you’ll want to consider, such as property division, child custody and other important matters. By discussing your situation with an experienced Nevada divorce lawyer, you can determine what to expect in your upcoming divorce proceedings.
Source: Las Vegas Sun, “Why Sin City is the wedding mecca and divorce capital of the country,” Rebecca Clifford-Cruz, accessed April 30, 2017
