Serious Illness and Divorce

Being diagnosed with a grave health concern is devastating enough on its own. Unfortunately, sometimes such a situation overlaps with or leads to a divorce. The causes can be many, but no matter why a couple divorces while dealing with serious illness, it can make the process of going through a divorce even more difficult.

Causes of Divorce when One Partner is Ill

It may seem like if one partner receives a serious health diagnosis and in the near aftermath the couple divorces, that the other person simply couldn’t handle their spouse’s illness. However, the reality of the situation may not be so cut and dry. Studies show some interesting correlations between major health problems and divorce. Some of the findings include:

• The overall divorce rate for couples with one spouse facing a serious illness was similar to that of the general public.

• However, men were seven times more likely to divorce a wife with a serious illness than the other way around.

• There was no set timeline for divorce, but on average, couples divorced six months after diagnosis.

Remember that health is a consideration when determining alimony in the state of California. Talk to an experienced divorce attorney to find out how your illness may affect your divorce.

Contact Us

If you are trying to juggle both a major illness and a divorce, you need the experienced and understanding Oceanside divorce attorneys of Fischer & Van Thiel, LLP, on your side. Call 760-722-7646 to speak with us about your legal options.