What other issues are determined in divorce, annulments, or separate maintenance proceedings?
The court has jurisdiction to divide property acquired by the parties during the marriage, and to assign the indebtedness incurred during the marriage. Generally, real and personal property will be divided and assigned to the respective parties, although the court has jurisdiction to sell property and divide the cash resulting from such sale. Ordinarily, property is divided equally between the parties, although there is no requirement that this be done in every case, and the court in each case has wide discretion to determine whether some other division of property is more equitable. Likewise, debt can be divided equally between the parties, but may also be divided on the basis of the ability of each party to pay. For example, if one spouse made considerably more income than the other, then that spouse might receive a greater portion of the debt according to his or her ability to pay. The courts have wide latitude in making these decisions, and will look to such factors as the respecti
