BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — A new California law is making it easier and less expensive for couples to file for divorce by allowing them to submit a joint petition for dissolution of marriage or legal separation for $435.
Senate Bill 1427 creates what legal experts are calling a "middle ground" between summary divorce and regular divorce proceedings. The law establishes procedures for how courts must handle joint petitions and allows more couples to file for divorce jointly at the reduced cost.
Patti Johnson, a legal document assistant and owner of Divorce City 911 in Bakersfield, sees the new option as an "in between bill" that offers some advantages over traditional divorce filings.
"A regular divorce is very similar to what they're doing here. They are filing a joint petition instead of one person filing a regular petition. And the difference is both people have to pay a filing fee, which I think is a negative, instead of a pro, it's a negative. Both people are going to be required to pay that filing fee when they file this joint petition," Johnson said.
However, Johnson noted one significant benefit of the joint filing process.
"There is one positive thing I can say. The joint filing of the petition actually is the effective date of the case. So, it negates having to have a process server or somebody serve the other side it's already considered served, which is nice because that starts the six month, one day waiting period before the divorce process can be actually finalized," Johnson said.
The new law addresses a common challenge in California's divorce system, where even seemingly straightforward cases can become complicated and lengthy.
"And even if you have what they think is a simple divorce, it's not, because there's so much required by the court system that unless you know exactly how to do this, many people just give up," Johnson said.
The joint petition option eliminates the need for process servers and automatically begins the mandatory waiting period, potentially saving couples both time and money in the divorce process.
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