According to recent statistics released by the New York State Department of Health, which covered divorces in the year 2012, Western New York is currently undergoing a virtual explosion of divorces. The primary reason for the uptick is being linked to the introduction of so-called "no fault" divorce, which is generally a divorce in which it is not required that either party be identified as having caused the split. In New York, no fault divorces were unavailable until late 2010, when New York was the last state in the Union to institute this kind of marital dissolution.
According to 2012 statistics, Western New York saw 4,133 divorces, which was almost identical to the number of divorces filed in 2011. But these figures were up significantly from pre-Great Recession divorce stats. For example, in 2002 there were 3,183 divorce filings in Western New York, which represents nearly 30 percent fewer divorces than the 2012 figure.
Additionally, the number of no fault divorces has continued to rise. While 2002 records show that just 1.4 percent of divorces fell under the "not stated" category as the divorce reason, by 2012 that figure had jumped to 79 percent. Not stated is generally a catch-all category used for no fault divorces. Interestingly, cruelty was the top divorce reason before the so-called "no fault era." In 2002, three out of four of Western New York divorce filings cited cruelty as the reason.
Everyone has a right to happiness. At H. Benjamin Perez & Associates, P.C., our attorneys are ready to defend your legal rights and put you on the road to happiness. If you are dealing with a stressful divorce situation, contact us immediately at 212-226-8444 for experienced legal representation on your New York divorce case.