What are some commonly used terms in Texas divorce proceedings?
Equitable distribution is the division of property between the spouses and usually that property if bought or acquired by one or both spouses during the marriage.
Fault grounds where marital misconduct giving one spouse a legal reason to sue for divorce, such as abuse, abandonment and adultery.
Pendente Lite is a temporary arrangement for custody, child support, child visitation, alimony, and possession of the family home until a final hearing.
The spouse who initiates the case, by filing an Original Petition for Divorce, is known as the “petitioner.”
The other spouse is designated as the “respondent.”
When “venue” is proper for the divorce case, that means that the divorce is filed in the right county. In Texas, proper venue for the divorce action is in the District Court within a county in which the residency requirements (discussed above) are met.