40-4-104. Dissolution of marriage — legal separation. (1) The district court shall enter a decree of dissolution of marriage if:

Ask a divorce law question, get an answer ASAP!
Thousands of highly rated, verified divorce lawyers.
Specialties include: Family Law, Custody, Divorce, Child Support, Child Protection, Alimony, and more.
Click here to chat with a lawyer about your rights.

Terms Used In Montana Code 40-4-104

  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Property: means real and personal property. See Montana Code 1-1-205
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories. See Montana Code 1-1-201

(a)the court finds that one of the parties, at the time the action was commenced, was domiciled in this state, as provided in 25-2-118, or was stationed in this state while a member of the armed services and that the domicile or military presence has been maintained for 90 days preceding the filing of the action;

(b)the court finds that the marriage is irretrievably broken, which findings must be supported by evidence:

(i)that the parties have lived separate and apart for a period of more than 180 days preceding the commencement of this proceeding; or

(ii)that there is serious marital discord that adversely affects the attitude of one or both of the parties towards the marriage; and

(c)to the extent it has jurisdiction to do so, the court has considered, approved, or made provision for parenting, the support of any child entitled to support, the maintenance of either spouse, and the disposition of property.

(2)If a party requests a decree of legal separation rather than a decree of dissolution of marriage, the court shall grant the decree in that form unless the other party objects.