A contested divorce refers to a divorce proceeding in which the spouses have a dispute or don’t agree on the issues concerning the divorce. These issues generally include the distribution of marital assets, child custody, and spousal support.
In the United States and in many other jurisdictions, there are two types of divorce: contested and uncontested. A contested divorce is more time consuming, expensive, and stressful when compared to an uncontested divorce. In a contested divorce, a couple must go through numerous steps before the divorce is finalized. These steps include engaging in divorce discovery, pre-trial motions and hearings, a court trial when settlements can’t be reached, etc. All of these steps make a contested divorce more time consuming and expensive than an uncontested divorce.