Minnesota Stipulations In Divorce
A stipulation is simply a collection of written statements that consist of facts that are agreed upon by both parties. These statements are then submitted to the judge before the trial begins. These stipulations can then be used as evidence in the resolution of the case.
Benefits Of Stipulations
One major benefit of using stipulations in your Minnesota divorce trial is that they save you a lot of time. You don’t have to provide witnesses to testify on your behalf in order to provide the facts. Another benefit is that you can save money when you’re paying a lawyer by the minute.
Stipulations can also educate the judge quickly about your case. The judge has a reference that provides quite a bit of information regarding the facts so that the right decision can be made.
What are these facts that are instantly provided to the judge?
- The names of the parties involved
- Ages of both parties
- The duration of the marriage
- Names and birth dates of children
These are facts that are easy to agree upon, but there are facts that are difficult to agree upon, but can be included as stipulations if both parties do agree. Those facts include:
- Jobs/Employment
- Income
- Assets
- Liabilities
- Health status of both parties
It is ideal that these issues are stipulated in order to make the divorce process much easier.
Using Stipulations In Your Divorce
Even if your spouse will not sign your stipulated facts, you can still submit them to the judge. In this case they will be called a “Statement of Facts.” This helps the judge evaluate a part of your case quickly. Even attorneys can use such statements to remember facts surrounding the case, such as the date of marriage. There have also been times in which a Statement of Facts has helped settle a case. Even if you include facts that the other party disputes, the other party will usually specify what they will or will not agree to. This will help narrow down the areas of disagreement, making the divorce process faster.
Twin Cities Divorce Lawyer & Attorney
Stipulations will be provided with the petition for divorce or can be submitted to a judge prior to the divorce trial for the judge’s review. You can do all of this through your Minnesota divorce lawyer.
So if you wish to file for divorce and there are stipulations that you want to make a part of your divorce proceedings, call us for a free consultation.