| u are filing for a divorce in the state on Minnesota, | | | | be allocated according to what is deemed fair by |
| there are a few things you should know. If you | | | | the District Court. |
| know the basics of the process before you start, | | | | The court bases its decision on several factors |
| you'll be prepared and will probably find the | | | | including the length of the marriage, age, health, |
| process smoother. Here are some of the basic | | | | occupation, employability, needs, liabilities, amount |
| facts that you should know. | | | | and sources of income of each party, opportunity |
| The initial document that needs to be filed with | | | | for future acquisition of capital assets and any |
| the Minnesota court when requesting for a | | | | prior marriage of a party. The court also takes |
| divorce is called the Petition for Dissolution of | | | | into the consideration the contribution of a spouse |
| Marriage. The filing spouse will have to use this | | | | as a homemaker or the contribution of each in |
| document to request the court to terminate the | | | | any acquisition. It is presumed that both spouses |
| marriage under certain specific grounds. If both | | | | contributed substantially to the acquisition of |
| parties submit the petition jointly as Co-Petitioners | | | | property and income while they were married. |
| it eliminates the necessity for the use of | | | | Minnesota Child Custody Factors |
| summons or for service of process. | | | | When deciding child custody issues pertaining to a |
| Dissolution of marriage is governed by state law | | | | divorce, the children’s best interest is the |
| and it is essential that anyone filing for a | | | | primary concern of the court. The court prefers if |
| dissolution of marriage in the state of Minnesota | | | | the parents can decide on the custody issues |
| should meet specific residency requirements. | | | | amicably, failing which the court bases its custody |
| Minnesota Property Division Factors | | | | decision taking into consideration several factors |
| Minnesota is an ‘equitable | | | | including the reasonable preference of the child if |
| distribution’ state. While most debt and | | | | the child is deemed to be old enough to express a |
| property issues are typically settled between | | | | preference. Other factors include the intimacy and |
| parties by a signed Marital Termination | | | | interaction between each parent and the child; the |
| Agreement, in the event that the parties are | | | | child’s adjustment to school, home and |
| unable to reach an agreeable settlement, the | | | | community and the physical and mental health of |
| District Court will first determine which debt and | | | | all the individuals involved. |
| property is to be considered as marital. After | | | | Minnesota Child Support Factors |
| assigning a monetary value to this marital | | | | Factors for determining child support include the |
| property and debt, the court will distribute the | | | | financial resources, income, earnings and assets of |
| marital assets between the spouses in an | | | | the parents; the standard of living the child would |
| equitable fashion. Equitable in this case does not | | | | have enjoyed if the marriage was still intact and |
| necessarily mean the assets will be equally | | | | the educational needs of the child as well as the |
| distributed between the parties but rather it will | | | | child’s emotional and physical condition. |