How Will Coronavirus Affect My Divorce?

The COVID-19 Coronavirus is having a massive impact on the Sonoma County legal system. With the shelter-in-place order still in effect, all non-critical cases and court dates have been postponed until further notice. This includes divorce hearings, trials, and judgements.

If you are currently going through a divorce, there’s a very strong chance that the measures put in place to halt the spread of the virus will affect your case in some way.
 

If You’ve Already Filed For Divorce

If you have already filed for divorce, and are somewhere in the mandatory six month waiting period before your divorce can be finalized, any court dates that were originally scheduled in the coming weeks and months will likely be postponed.

While no official announcements have been made, the legal community is expecting the courts will have a backlog to work through once the system returns to normal operation. How fast the courts will work through the backlog will depend on a variety of factors, so the best thing you can do is regularly check in with your attorney for updates on your case’s status.

If You Haven’t Filed For Divorce Yet

If you were planning on filing for divorce before the pandemic hit, but haven’t actually done so, you have a few options. Your first option (assuming you are not in immediate physical danger) is to simply hold off on filing for divorce until the legal system starts functioning normally again.

Alternatively, your attorney can file for divorce, and get the clock started on the six month waiting period, but things will likely happen at a slower pace.

 

Consult Your Attorney First

Because everything is up in the air right now, many of the normal legal options and tools aren’t available. Be sure to speak with your attorney and carefully weigh all the information they provide before making any decisions.

If you are uncertain about the status of your divorce case, and you haven’t received an update from your lawyer, contact them immediately and ask what’s going on. If you don’t have an attorney and need legal representation in a family law matter, please contact our office to schedule a free phone consultation.