How Do I Prove Abandonment in an Oklahoma Divorce?
Part of going through the legal process of a divorce is picking and proving your grounds for divorce. One of the Oklahoma divorce grounds is abandonment, something that not everyone is entirely sure how to prove in a family court. Working with an experienced Oklahoma Family Attorney might be able to help you with this along with figuring out whether your case meets the legal definition of abandonment.
Proving Abandonment in an Oklahoma Divorce
The first step for proving abandonment in a divorce case is figuring out whether your situation meets the legal definition of Oklahoma divorce abandonment. Knowing this sooner than later can save you a lot of time when preparing for your divorce. If your situation does not meet the definition of abandonment, then you might have to explore other grounds for divorce in Oklahoma.
In general, abandonment is defined as one spouse leaving the other spouse without any sufficient reason like an emergency. Where each state slightly varies is how long that spouse must have been away from the other spouse with some states saying one year and other states saying five years. Talking with a local lawyer about the Oklahoma timestamp for abandonment is vital if you want this to be your grounds for divorce.
Abandonment also infers that one spouse is leaving the other spouse and children, if children are involved, who need healthcare or other types of care. To prove abandonment, you will need to provide evidence that:
- Your spouse left without your consent
- Your spouse left you and/or your child for a length of time without returning during that whole time period
- You must not have provoked the abandonment
However, there might be situations where a spouse leaves the other spouse because of adultery and this can support a justified abandonment.
What Oklahoma Legal Steps Do I Need to Take?
The Oklahoma divorce steps you need to take include proving your grounds for divorce. If your grounds for divorce is abandonment, then one of the best things you can do to significantly improve your case is to talk to a lawyer with family law experience who knows what evidence you need. Work with your lawyer to gather this evidence.
Decide what you want to happen in regard to Oklahoma child custody, child support, and alimony. These require additional steps for collecting evidence and legal documents. Do not hesitate to ask for legal help when you have questions. The last thing you want to do is leave things up to chance when you have specific outcomes you need from the divorce.
Family Lawyer in Oklahoma
Going through the divorce process alone when your spouse is disagreeing with your preferred outcomes can be frustrating. Consider reaching out to an Oklahoma Divorce Lawyer if you have concerns about your divorce and what steps you need to take. All you have to do is contact the Putnam Law Office at (405)-849-9149 for a consultation today. We might be able to help you obtain the outcomes you want from your divorce. Mr. Putnam is an experienced lawyer in Oklahoma City, OK who is dedicated to his clients.