Three Situations That May Make a Change of Venue Necessary in Your Illinois Divorce

 Posted on July 29, 2022 in Divorce

Before your Illinois divorce can begin, you will need to choose the county - or venue - in which you want to file for divorce. Generally speaking, the spouse who files for divorce gets to choose the venue where the divorce will take place. However, the responding spouse can object to the venue and petition for change. If your spouse already filed for divorce and you are worried that the venue may negatively affect you, it is essential to have an experienced Illinois divorce attorney who can help you petition for a change of venue. Here are three reasons you may want a different divorce venue.

Distance

Sometimes spouses who are getting divorced have already separated households. If one spouse moves to another county and files for divorce there, the distance may be too great to comfortably move back and forth for court dates or mediation sessions. This is especially true if the responding spouse has minor children who need to be cared for during court dates.

Spouses can petition to change the venue to a county that is equally distant from each partner, the county where the responding spouse lives now, or in the county in which most of the marriage took place.

County Bias

If one spouse files for divorce in a county that has a reputation for ruling a certain way on issues that could have a negative outcome on the responding spouse’s case, petitioning for a change in venue may be appropriate. For example, rural counties may be more conservative when it comes to certain issues; while no judge is bound to rule in a particular way, a concerned spouse may want to have the divorce take place in a county closer to a large city.

Personal Bias

If the spouse who filed for divorce has a relationship with powerful people in the county in which he or she filed, that may be a cause for a change in venue. Being married to a politician, judge, celebrity, or prominent businessperson may make this case more likely, as it could be difficult for a judge to be unbiased regarding someone who is well-liked or who has a well-known history of poor behavior.

Talk to a Wheaton, IL Divorce Lawyer

It takes a skilled Wheaton, IL divorce attorney to know whether a change in venue could have a significant impact on the outcome of your divorce. At Andrew Cores Family Law Group, we leverage our many years of experience with various Illinois county courts to make sure your divorce happens in a venue that will allow you to have the best chance of a favorable outcome. Call us today at 630-871-1002 to schedule a free, confidential consultation.

Source: 

https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs4.asp?DocName=075000050HPt%2E+IV&ActID=2086&ChapterID=59&SeqStart=3900000&SeqEnd=5400000