NC senator renews domestic violence divorce reform bill

What Senate Bill 626 would change

North Carolina Sen. Woodson Bradley has reintroduced Senate Bill 626, called the Domestic Violence Divorce Reform Act. The measure would reduce the separation period required before a divorce from one year to six months for most couples.

Domestic violence victims would not have to complete that separation period before seeking a divorce. Bradley argues that a required wait can give an abusive spouse more opportunities to exert pressure through finances, custody matters or the division of property.

Bradley first introduced the proposal last year. It did not advance out of committee this year, a necessary step before legislation can receive further consideration.

Bradley connects proposal to personal experience

Bradley has said she experienced domestic violence in her 20s and again during a marriage in her 40s. She said the first relationship became violent during the 1990s and that she was tracked down, beaten and assaulted after leaving.

She later left a marriage with her children. Bradley said she continued to face danger after the separation, including problems connected to custody exchanges. She describes those experiences as post-separation and legal abuse, and says they helped motivate her entry into politics and work on divorce law.

Bradley is also advocating for a domestic violence registry intended to identify people with a history of abuse. That proposal is separate from the changes to the divorce waiting period.

Renewed attention

The proposal has drawn renewed attention after North Carolina influencer Jen Hamilton discussed the state’s divorce laws. A Mecklenburg County case also has focused attention on protections for people leaving abusive relationships: Cody Porter Jr. has been charged with killing his wife.