What if the respondent files an answer to the petition?
Usually, the respondent does file an answer. At this point, the parties and their attorneys will usually enter into negotiations toward reaching an agreement about the issues in the dissolution case. In addition, there will often be “discovery” by one or both parties. Discovery is a procedure where one party can require the other to answer certain questions under oath or supply certain documents. Discovery permits each party to learn about the assets and income of the other, as well as what the other party can be expected to say to the judge in the event of a trial. Generally, the court will also require each party to file detailed financial statements about their income and assets. If the parties and their attorneys are successful in negotiating the terms of their dissolution, they will put these terms in writing in a “marital settlement and separation agreement.” The parties will then present the separation agreement to the court and ask the judge to approve it as part of the court’s
