Photo of Greco Law attorneys in office conference room

Legal Separation And Divorce – Is There A Difference?

Legal separation in Ohio is one of the most misunderstood legal issues in family law. Under Ohio law, there are only three ways to terminate a marriage: divorce, dissolution or annulment. Each method comes with its own benefits and disadvantages. However, a legal separation does not fall into this category as it does not legally terminate a marriage. If you have a separation, you cannot remarry, and there are potentially other issues that involve the filing of your taxes, what happens to assets, and liabilities if one of the parties dies or becomes mentally or physically incapacitated.

Legal Separation Defined

A legal separation is a court order where the husband and wife remain married, but live separately. This is similar to a divorce in certain ways as issues involving child custody, child support, spousal support, and the division of property all need to be addressed and finalized in the court order. Legal separation comes with some benefits over a divorce, as health benefits can still be easily conferred from one party to another, and if the parties think they may reconcile at some point, it is much easier to “undo” a legal separation than a divorce. In addition, property acquired after the Decree of Legal Separation is typically considered to be individually owned. This means the property is typically not subject to division in any future divorce or dissolution action.

However, the major difference is that legal separation does not permit one to remarry, as in the eyes of the law, the marriage has not ended and the parties are still legally married. Further, there are potential issues with taxes, as the parties are still technically married. Property rights may also be difficult, as the law treats married and unmarried people differently when considering property ownership. In addition, we find it is important to stress legal separation’s potential issues with regard to debts. Home debts, even after a legal separation has occurred, may be considered joint. This means that even if one spouse did not have any part in the creation of a debt and received no benefit from its existence, there is the potential that they may be liable for its repayment.

Contact Us For Experienced Family Law Counsel

Greco Law provides each and every client with professional, aggressive, and effective representation. We strive to remain sensitive to our clients’ unique concerns and goals. Our more than 50 years of combined experience have equipped us to address issues in family law including divorce and child custody. From the complex, high-asset divorce cases, to a simple dissolution, attorney Greco and his team of talented counsel and associates are ready to aggressively represent their clients from the first day of representation through trial. Contact our office online or call 614-963-9154 to set up your initial consultation to discuss your legal separation questions.