Badger Lawyer's Family Law Did You Know

Did you know?

– A contract that tries to interfere with marriage is void. So a contract that pressures marital choices or encourages divorce cannot be enforced. That’s because marriage is considered the most important “contract” in our state.

– You have to be 18 to get married, or 16 with written parental consent.

– You cannot marry again until 6 months after your divorce is final.

– You can’t marry your first cousin unless she’s over 55 or one of you is sterile.

– You can’t travel to another state to get a marriage that is illegal in Wisconsin if you intend to keep living here. The marriage will be invalid, and also, it’s a crime.

– Normally, one of you needs to live in the county where the marriage license is to be issued for 30 days before issuance, and the Clerk has 5 days to issue the license. So plan ahead!

– In La Crosse County, a marriage license costs $70. The minimum charge statewide is $50. For more information, see http://www.co.la-crosse.wi.us/countyclerk/Marriage.htm

– To make a wedding stick, you need a husband and wife and 2 witnesses. You also need a legally sanctioned person to do the marrying, but the law allows the husband and wife to do it themselves. As long as the i’s are dotted, so you don’t even need the preacherman.

– A marriage certificate has to be filled out in black ink.

– An action for divorce doesn’t survive death.

– The division of property following a divorce is final.

– A court in this state cannot adjust the amount of back child support or alimony you owe.

– Once an action affecting the family is filed (including divorce, separation, custody, maintenance, property division, support or modification), its illegal sell or destroy property owned by you or your spouse, move the children out of state or more than 150 miles away, or harassing and abusing each other. There are exceptions, but be careful: violations can be punished by contempt of court.

– Once an action affecting the family is filed, you will be required to file a detailed financial disclosure statement with the court listing all your assets and debts.

– You can’t sue a home wrecker for wrecking a home. It’s even a crime to threaten it.

– Divorce generally automatically revokes the terms in a prior marital property agreement that benefit the ex-spouse.

– If a child is born out of wedlock, but the couple later marries, the child is entitled to be considered born in wedlock, including having her birth certificate changed.

– A child is assumed to have been conceived anywhere between 240 and 300 days before its birth, unless there is evidence it was premature.

– There’s a statute of limitations on paternity actions. You have 19 years from the child’s birth.

– The man married to a woman who conceives by artificial insemination is the child’s father, no matter who the sperm donor was.