Why is foreign jurisdiction such a critical issue in so many divorce cases?
It seems that New Jersey is more multi-cultural than ever. There are people living in New Jersey who are originally from all corners of the globe. In many cases foreign nationals encounter marital problems once they are living in the Garden State. Quite often a foreign national thoroughly researches the divorce laws of New Jersey and of their home country before they file for divorce. Many times a foreign nation will realize that the divorce laws may be more favorable in their home country. The alimony laws and the laws of equitable distribution can be very oppressive here in New Jersey. Many devious foreign nationals choose to file for a divorce in their home country even though they have been living in New Jersey for years. It can’t be overly emphasized that divorce litigants will try to do anything and everything to avoid paying alimony and to save their assets. I have had divorce clients fly to Pakistan to file for divorce to try to “beat” paying alimony to their former spouse. The
