Missouri Divorce Laws

Get divorce lawyer price quotes (free service)

• 452.305. Judgment of dissolution, grounds for.
  1. The court shall enter a judgment of dissolution of marriage if:
      (1) The court finds that one of the parties has been a resident of this state, or is a member of the armed services who has been stationed in this state, for ninety days immediately preceding the commencement of the proceeding and that thirty days have elapsed since the filing of the petition; and
      (2) The court finds that there remains no reasonable likelihood that the marriage can be preserved and that therefore the marriage is irretrievably broken; and
      (3) To the extent it has jurisdiction, the court has considered and made provision for child custody, the support of each child, the maintenance of either spouse and the disposition of property.
  * * *
• Section 452.340. Child support, how allocated--factors to be considered.
  1. In a proceeding for dissolution of marriage, legal separation or child support, the court may order either or both parents owing a duty of support to a child of the marriage to pay an amount reasonable or necessary for the support of the child, including an award retroactive to the date of filing the petition, without regard to marital misconduct, after considering all relevant factors including:
      (1) The financial needs and resources of the child;
      (2) The financial resources and needs of the parents;
      (3) The standard of living the child would have enjoyed had the marriage not been dissolved;
      (4) The physical and emotional condition of the child, and the child's educational needs;
      (5) The child's physical and legal custody arrangements, including the amount of time the child spends with each parent and the reasonable expenses associated with the custody or visitation arrangements; and
      (6) The reasonable work-related child care expenses of each parent.
  * * *
  
  Last Updated: 5-14-08