How Does Adultery Affect A Georgia Divorce?

 Adultery in a Georgia divorce can impact the process. There is a common misconception among individuals when it comes to adultery. Many people believe that if they can prove the other spouse had an affair or was a habitual cheater, they can take all the property, get custody of the children, get child support, and get alimony. While the court doesn’t investigate all of the reasons behind a divorce, adultery could affect the amount of alimony and the dispensation of assets awarded in Georgia.   

Grounds for Divorce in Georgia

Georgia is both an at-fault and no-fault divorce state. To avoid fault, a spouse can show that he or she does not want to be with their spouse in a relationship that is beyond repair.  However, a spouse may choose to file for divorce for a specific fault to receive favorable treatment in the division of assets and determination of alimony. Georgia recognizes 12 fault-based grounds for divorce.

1. Adultery 
2. Cruel or abusive treatment
3. Desertion (either physical separation or refusal of intimacy; continuous for at least one year)
4. Illegal intermarriage with a close relative
5. Mental incapacity at the wedding date
6. Impotency at the wedding date
7. “Force, menace, duress, or fraud” used to make the other spouse agree to marry
8. Pregnancy of the wife by another man at the wedding date
9. A conviction for a crime of “moral turpitude” with at least a two-year jail term
10. Habitual alcohol intoxication
11. Habitual drug addiction
12. Incurable mental illness

What is adultery?

In Georgia, the definition of adultery is heterosexual or homosexual intercourse with a person other than his or her spouse.

How Adultery affects alimony 

Alimony is typically paid by the higher-earning spouse (the supporting spouse) to the lower-earning spouse (the supported spouse.). Alimony can be granted for a stated period (temporary) or until the spouse remarries or dies (permanent.) Additionally, the spouse seeking alimony must prove they have a financial need for the alimony.

To claim alimony based on adultery, the claiming spouse must prove that the supporting spouse’s infidelity was the reason for marital separation and has prevented reconciliation. Under O.C.G.A.19-6-1 (b), if you can prove with a doubt, that your spouse did commit adultery and that adultery is the reason for marital separation and reconciliation, your spouse will not have an entitlement to alimony.

How Adultery affects the division of assets

Georgia is an equitable distribution state. The marital assets and debt will have fair, but not necessarily equal, division. Unlike alimony, under O.C.G.A section 9-11-26(b), adultery does not prevent a spouse from seeking equitable division of marital assets or debts. However, the court can take evidence of the adultery into account when they decide on the division of the assets. A spouse that is being divorced because the other spouse decided to run off with their lover could conceivably be awarded the lion’s share of the assets.

Common myths regarding adultery in Georgia

Myth #1: Adultery only applies to the supporting spouse. 

False. The court looks at both parties’ conduct during the marriage to determine whether alimony is necessary, including nature, amount, duration, and payment method.

Myth #2: Adultery only applies while you were together.

False. Courts still look at the conduct of the couple during the negotiation of the divorce settlement until the final divorce decree or judgment.

Myth #3: If your spouse committed adultery, you would automatically be awarded alimony.

False. Adultery is one of the seventeen factors the court considers in awarding alimony. Other factors the court considers include the earnings and earning capacity of both parties, the marriage duration, sources of income for both parties, and the relative needs of the parties. 

Myth #4: A divorce can be granted for adultery even if both spouses committed adultery.

False. If both spouses committed adultery, the court will not grant the divorce based on adultery.

It can be a challenge to prove adultery in a divorce.  The rules that allow evidence by Georgia law can complicate this matter. A ruling supporting or denying adultery can have a significant effect on the outcome of your divorce and your financial situation. If you plan to file a divorce petition based on adultery, you need an experienced divorce lawyer to represent you.

Contact Tyler Moffitt’s family law office today for a free consultation with an experienced Georgia divorce lawyer.