What are the Grounds for Divorce and Annulment of Marriage?
(prepared by the Family Law Section of the VIRGINIA STATE BAR) Answer: Given the increase in marital breakdown in our society, almost everyone has been or could be affected in some way by a separation or divorce. Dissolving a marriage often involves property rights and financial matters and can raise complicated legal problems, especially when children are involved. Virginia law recognizes two types of divorce: divorce from bed and board (a mensa et thoro) and a divorce from the bond of matrimony (a vinculo matrimonii). A divorce from bed and board is a partial or qualified divorce under which a husband and wife are legally separated from each other but are not permitted to remarry. A divorce from the bond of matrimony is a complete and absolute divorce. Any person granted a divorce from bed and board may ask the court to “merge” the decree into a divorce from the bond of matrimony after at least one year has passed from the date the parties originally separated. The law requires that
