- legal separation
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legal separation n: a separation of spouses which does not involve a dissolution of the marriage but in which certain arrangements (as for maintenance and custody) are ordered by the court – called also divorce a mensa et thoro, judicial separation, separation from bed and board;
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam-Webster. 1996.
- legal separation
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The legal status of living apart while remaining legally married. Parties who legally separate may petition for property division and support rights, and in all ways end their marital relationship while retaining the status, usually for religious reasons or to retain insurance benefits.Category: Divorce & Family Law → Divorce, Child Support & Custody
Nolo’s Plain-English Law Dictionary. Gerald N. Hill, Kathleen Thompson Hill. 2009.
- legal separation
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n.a court-decreed right to live apart, with the rights and obligations of divorced persons, but without divorce. The parties are still married and cannot remarry. A spouse may petition for a legal separation usually on the same basis as for a divorce, and include requests for child custody, alimony, child support and division of property. For people who want to avoid the supposed stigma of divorce, who hold strong religious objections to divorce or who hope to save a marriage, legal separation is an apparent solution. With more states allowing no-fault divorce, the use of separation agreements and informal separation, legal separation is rarely used.See also: divorce
Law dictionary. EdwART. 2013.
