Divorce

A judge may consider the fault of the parties in the marriage’s end when deciding whether or not to order alimony and how much to order.¹ A spouse can be considered at fault when s/he does any of the following acts, but only if it substantially contributed to the breakup of the marriage:

• had sexual relations with someone else;
• intentionally caused or tried to cause physical harm to the other spouse or to a minor child;
• intentionally caused the other spouse or a minor child to reasonably fear life-threatening harm; or
• substantially damaged (undermined) the financial stability of the other spouse or a minor child.²

Note: If a judge finds fault, s/he may close the court to the public and seal the court records.³

¹ Utah Code § 30-3-5(10)(b)
² Utah Code § 30-3-5(1)(b)
³ Utah Code § 30-3-5(10)(c)