If you and your spouse go through a divorce from bed and board, you are technically still legally married but are now allowed to live separately. At this time, you may feel and carry your life out as if you got an absolute divorce. With this, you may wonder if it is okay to start dating other people again. Well, please read to discover whether you can start dating during your divorce from bed and board and how a seasoned Morris County divorce lawyer at Graves Andrews, LLC, can help you navigate this gray area.
Am I allowed to date during a divorce from bed and board?
To reiterate, you and your spouse remain legally married with a divorce from bed and board. But this alternative method essentially puts your marriage on hold, should you decide to reconcile and live together once again. Therefore, the legal standing is that dating is generally permissible during this time, and it does not technically count as adultery.
When getting a divorce from bed and board, you and your spouse may address issues such as alimony, child custody, child support, and property division, whether it be through informal discussions or a formal separation agreement. Here, it may also be in your best interest to establish boundaries regarding dating other people. Namely, you may go as far as including a no-dating clause in your separation agreement with posed consequences upon a breach of contract.
How can dating impact my future divorce proceedings?
If you start dating and it turns out your spouse becomes heartbroken over it or believes it violates your agreement, there may be little to no chance that you will reconcile down the line. Subsequently, this may prompt your spouse to file an absolute divorce complaint against you. Then, in this complaint, they may cite adultery as a fault-based ground. Again, dating during a divorce from bed and board does not constitute adultery in the legal sense. However, your spouse may argue that sufficient circumstantial evidence points to the fact that you started an emotional or intimate relationship with this other person while you were still married.
Ultimately, having an adultery accusation placed against you may have seriously negative implications on your future divorce proceedings. This is specifically if the New Jersey family court finds that your affair caused financial damages in your marriage. For instance, if you used marital funds so that the person you are dating can receive gifts, be taken out of dates, go on vacations, pay their bills, or otherwise. At the very least, your spouse may hold your breach of your separation agreement against you. With this, they may want to change your current custody arrangement, where you may see your child less often. This may be especially possible if your spouse is uncomfortable with your minor child being around your new partner.
To ensure you do not go through this critical yet complex process by yourself, please reach out to a competent Morristown family law attorney. Our team at Graves Andrews, LLC is more than happy to serve you.
