Gov. Paterson signs no-fault divorce law

ALBANY - Unhappy New York couples who want to get divorced fast will no longer have to persuade a court that they have been abused, abandoned or cuckolded to be released from their bonds.

Gov. David A. Paterson announced yesterday that he had signed a bill making New York the last state to enact some version of no-fault divorce, meaning that people trying to leave a marriage will be spared the task of attacking their estranged spouse in court.

Previously, under a system the governor called "outdated," New York judges could grant a divorce quickly only on grounds of cruelty, adultery, abandonment or imprisonment. In other words, somebody had to be blamed.

An alternative was to legally separate for a year and get a divorce later by consent, but critics derided the system as expensive and time-consuming.

Because of the rule, some New York judges would occasionally refuse to grant divorces, forcing couples to stick together against their wishes. The new measure requires only that one spouse swear under oath that a relationship has broken down for at least six months.

The change had been opposed by the New York Catholic Conference, which said it made marriage disposable, and the state chapter of the National Organization for Women, which worried that it could make it easier for wealthy men to hide assets during a divorce proceeding. - AP