During a divorce, various issues may come up which are not able to be solved before the proceedings finalize. For those issues which may take weeks or months, the judge in the case may issue what is called a temporary order. These orders are intended to temporarily address pending issues until they can be dealt with more definitively at a later date.
What Can a Temporary Order Cover?
A temporary order in Oklahoma can cover who:
- Who remains in the home and who has to leave
- Who gets to drive which car
- Child support
- Where the children will live
- Other issues involving assets
All these issues need some sort of temporary solution to prevent former spouses from fighting over them. Temporary orders allow the divorce to proceed smoothly and ensure stability for the children.
Temporary orders normally require a hearing, but these hearings are usually shorter and less formal than hearings that result in longer-term orders.
Most significantly, the court will make every effort to keep any children of the marriage in regular contact with both parents during the divorce.
How to Request a Temporary Order
In order to seek a temporary order, the spouse must first make an application for a temporary hearing, then secure a hearing date and serve both the application and the hearing date to the other spouse. In order to set the hearing, the spouse needs to then obtain a referral from what is called a parenting coordinator. This is an official appointed in high-conflict cases that is there to serve as a mediator between the two former spouses.
A skilled Oklahoma divorce attorney can help guide you through this process.
Temporary Protective Orders
If the divorce has been particularly acrimonious, or if there have been cases of domestic abuse in the past, a judge may issue a temporary protective order. Typically, such orders limit specific sorts of contact between spouses. This is possible if the period preceding the divorce was exceptionally acrimonious, or if the spouses have a history of assault or battery.
Low-cost Consultation with an Oklahoma City Divorce Attorney
For a initial, no-obligation consultation with an Oklahoma City divorce attorney, call (405) 880-8222 today. If you prefer e-mail, use the “Ask the Lawyer” form on the right side of this page. Either way, a divorce lawyer from Oklahoma City will be in contact with you soon.