A divorce is a method of dissolving the legal contract that binds a couple together in marriage. The couple must have “grounds” or legal reasons that allow the court to grant a divorce. To get a divorce in Virginia, one of the following must be shown:
- Sexual intercourse or sodomy with someone outside the marriage;
- Conviction of a felony by the spouse;
- Willful desertion or abandonment;
- Cruelty or the infliction of reasonable apprehension of bodily harm; or
- The couple has lived separate and apart for one year with the intent to get a divorce, or six months if there are no minor children and the couple has a written settlement agreement.