Throughout the country, divorce has become a common enough occurrence that many people speak of the process very casually. The seriousness of divorce, as a result, is frequently underestimated. For example, in the 2011 film Crazy Stupid Love, the main character’s work colleagues laugh and celebrate when they discover that he is “merely” getting a divorce and does not have cancer. Such a casual attitude leads many to believe that when a marriage is experiencing problems, it is easy to ask the court to dissolve the relationship. The reality, however, is rather different.
Irreconcilable Differences
According to Illinois law, a judgment of divorce will only be granted on the grounds that “irreconcilable differences have caused the irretrievable breakdown of the marriage.” The law goes on to say that the court must also determine that attempts to save the marriage have failed or that future efforts toward reconciliation would be unreasonable and not in the family’s best interests. But, what does that mean?