Bill > S743

This bill amends Chapter 208 of the General Laws concerning divorce proceedings, primarily by modifying the process and timing for obtaining a divorce based on an irretrievable breakdown of the marriage. It introduces a procedure where a divorce action can be initiated by filing a complaint without immediately submitting a signed dissolution agreement, and a hearing can be held no earlier than thirty days after the complaint is filed, at which point a Judgment of Divorce Nisi (a temporary judgment that becomes final later) may be entered if the court finds the marriage has irretrievably broken down. The bill also allows for the waiver of this thirty-day waiting period in certain circumstances, such as consolidating hearings for divorce complaints filed by both parties, and clarifies that the filing of a complaint under this section does not prevent the defendant from seeking a hearing on a divorce complaint filed under a different section, even if the thirty-day period hasn't expired. Furthermore, it reiterates that divorce judgments will initially be Judgments of Divorce Nisi, becoming absolute after thirty days unless the court orders otherwise, and outlines conditions under which an action cannot be dismissed without court approval or a joint agreement from both parties.