Divorce Law
Desertion
One spouse abandoning the other without reasonable cause and without consent, for a continuous statutory period, with the intention of ending cohabitation.
Desertion as a divorce ground requires both the factual act of separation and the intention to permanently end the marital relationship, continuing without a reasonable cause for the minimum period the law prescribes.
A spouse who leaves for a legitimate reason — such as fleeing abuse — is generally not considered to have "deserted" the other in the legal sense, since the intent element is central to the claim.
Need a Divorce lawyer?
Browse Divorce Lawyers