14-05 Divorce - North Dakota Statutes

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CHAPTER 14-05DIVORCE14-05-01. Marriage - How dissolved. Marriage is dissolved only:1.By the death of one of the parties; or2.By a judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction decreeing a divorce of the parties.14-05-02. Effect of divorce. The effect of a judgment decreeing a divorce is to restorethe parties to the state of unmarried persons, but neither party to a divorce may marry except in
accordance with the decree of the court granting the divorce. It is the duty of the court granting a
divorce to specify in the order for judgment whether either or both of the parties shall be
permitted to marry, and if so, when. The court shall have jurisdiction to modify the decree of
divorce at any time so as to permit one or both of the parties to marry, if the court deems it right.14-05-02.1. Decree to include social security numbers. Each decree of divorce mustinclude the social security numbers of the parties to the divorce.14-05-03.Causes for divorce.Divorces may be granted for any of the followingcauses:1.Adultery.2.Extreme cruelty.3.Willful desertion.4.Willful neglect.5.Abuse of alcohol or controlled substances.6.Conviction of felony.7.Irreconcilable differences.14-05-03.1. Grounds for separation. The court may grant a temporary or permanentdecree of separation for any cause for which a divorce may be decreed.14-05-04. Adultery defined. Adultery is the voluntary sexual intercourse of a marriedperson with a person other than the offender's husband or wife.14-05-05. Extreme cruelty defined. Extreme cruelty is the infliction by one party to themarriage of grievous bodily injury or grievous mental suffering upon the other.14-05-06. Desertion defined. Willful desertion is the voluntary separation of one of themarried parties from the other with intent to desert:1.Persistent refusal to have reasonable matrimonial intercourse as husband and wife
when health or physical condition does not make such refusal reasonably
necessary, or the refusal of either party to dwell in the same house with the other
party when there is no just cause for such refusal, is desertion.2.When one party is induced by the stratagem or fraud of the other party to leave the
family dwelling place or to be absent, and during such absence the offending party
departs with intent to desert the other, it is desertion by the party committing the
stratagem or fraud and not by the other.Page No. 13.Departure or absence of one party from the family dwelling place caused by cruelty
or by threats of bodily harm from which danger reasonably would be apprehended
from the other is not desertion by the absent party, but it is desertion by the other
party.4.Separation by consent, with or without the understanding that one of the parties will
apply for a divorce, is not desertion.5.Absence or separation, proper in itself, becomes desertion whenever the intent to
desert is fixed during such absence or separation.6.Consent to a separation is a revocable act, and if one of the parties afterwards in
good faith seeks a reconciliation and restoration but the other refuses it, such refusal
is desertion.7.If one party deserts the other and before the expiration of the statutory period
required to make the desertion a cause of divorce returns and offers in good faith to
fulfill the marriage contract and solicits condonation, the desertion is cured. If the
other party refuses such offer and condonation, the refusal must be deemed and
treated as desertion by such party from the time of the refusal.14-05-07.Willful neglect defined.Willful neglect is the failure of either spouse toprovide for the common necessaries of life for the other party, when that spouse has the ability to
do so and the party alleging neglect does not have the ability, or when a spouse fails to provide
by reason of idleness, profligacy, or dissipation.14-05-08. Abuse of alcohol or controlled substances defined. Abuse of alcohol orcontrolled substances is that degree of use which disqualifies the person a great portion of the
time from properly attending to business or which reasonably would inflict a course of great
mental anguish upon the innocent party. For purposes of this chapter, "controlled substance"
means a substance as defined in section 19-03.1-01.14-05-08.1.Recognition of foreign decree of divorce and foreign annulment ofmarriage.A decree of divorce or of annulment of marriage obtained in a court of anotherjurisdiction is of no force or effect in this state, if the parties to the marriage were domiciled in this
state at the time such decree was rendered.If a person obtains a decree of divorce or of annulment of marriage from a court ofanother jurisdiction and was domiciled in this state within less than twelve months prior to
obtaining the decree and resumes residence in this state within six months after obtaining the
decree, it is prima facie evidence that such person did not abandon the person's domicile in this
state prior to obtaining the decree.The provisions of this section do not apply to any divorce or annulment of marriageobtained in proceedings begun prior to the passage of this section.14-05-09.Desertion, neglect, intemperance - Duration.Willful desertion, willfulneglect, or habitual intemperance must continue for one year before either is a ground for a
divorce.14-05-09.1. Irreconcilable differences defined. Irreconcilable differences are thosegrounds which are determined by the court to be substantial reasons for not continuing the
marriage and which make it appear that the marriage should be dissolved.14-05-10. Denial of divorce. Divorces must be denied upon showing:1.Condonation; or2.Limitation and lapse of time.Page No. 214-05-11. Connivance defined. Repealed by S.L. 2001, ch. 149,