The court enters a status-only judgment ending the marriage and reserves jurisdiction over remaining issues. Conditions frequently include maintaining insurance, preserving retirement survivor benefits, and indemnifying tax consequences.
Availability varies by state.
Alternative Names:
Bifurcation (Divorce)|Status-Only Dissolution
Why it Matters?
Protective conditions are what make bifurcation safe for the non-moving party, since terminating the marriage before property division can eliminate a surviving spouse's retirement benefits and health coverage, and courts routinely condition bifurcation on maintaining those protections. Requesting them explicitly is necessary, since a bifurcation granted without conditions transfers substantial risk to the other spouse.
Frequently Confused with
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
What conditions protect the non-moving party?
What happens without conditions?
