A divorce and custody law firm.

Grounds for Divorce

There are two ways to be divorced in Tennessee:  agree to be divorced because of irreconcilable differences, or allege grounds for divorce against your spouse in your Complaint for Divorce.  The thirteen grounds for a contested divorce in Tennessee are:

  • Adultery;

  • Habitual drunkenness or abuse of narcotic drugs;

  • Living apart for two years with no minor children;

  • Inappropriate marital conduct;

  • Willful or malicious desertion for one full year without a reasonable cause;

  • Conviction of a felony;

  • Pregnancy of the wife by another before the marriage without the husband’s knowledge;

  • Refusal to move to Tennessee with your spouse and living apart for two years;

  • Malicious attempt upon the life of another;

  • Lack of reconciliation for two years after the entry of a decree of separate maintenance;

  • Impotency and sterility;

  • Bigamy; and

  • Abandonment or refusal or neglecting to provide for spouse although able to do so.