Issues Courts Commonly Examine Around a Divorce Filing

Actions before and during a divorce can later appear in temporary-order, property, support, custody, discovery, or credibility disputes. The legal significance depends on state law and the facts.

Common subjects include:

• changes to residence and the children's routine;
• withdrawals, transfers, unusual spending, or new debt;
• preservation and disclosure of financial and electronic records;
• account access, privacy, and ownership of devices or messages;
• compliance with standing orders, injunctions, and temporary orders;
• communications involving the children or the other spouse;
• social-media evidence and public statements;
• insurance, taxes, business operations, and jointly owned property; and
• the completeness, voluntariness, and enforceability of proposed agreements.

Moving funds, changing beneficiaries, leaving a home, recording a conversation, or accessing an account can have different consequences across jurisdictions. A public list cannot recommend a particular step.

Safety takes priority in domestic-violence or stalking situations. Courts, shelters, hotlines, and legal-aid organizations provide confidential safety-planning and protective-order resources.

Official Starting Points

California Courts' guide to starting a divorce illustrates the procedural information one state court publishes. Use USAGov's state and territory court directory to locate the controlling court's current orders, forms, and instructions.

This page identifies general litigation topics. It does not instruct a reader to take or avoid a specific action in an individual divorce.