According to new data coming out of the greater New York area, divorce filings were down 45 percent from the monthly average during the first month that divorce filings could be filed after New York’s COVID-19 lockdown.
These divorce statistics are a pleasant surprise, but a surprise nonetheless as conventional wisdom pointed to a likely uptick of divorces after couples were forced to spend nearly every waking moment together due to the global coronavirus pandemic.
The reason for the drop is unclear. It may be possible that marriages already on sound footing were able to overcome the stress of confinement while being forced to stay home may have reminded some quarreling couples what they loved about each other in the first place. Couples who own a business together may have decided that a divorce was simply too much on top of the tanking economy.
One attorney told the New York Post that couples are not out of the woods yet, pointing to lagging indicators such as substance abuse, domestic violence and the stresses of parenting during a period of distance learning. “When this virus subsides and the economic outlook stabilizes, there is no question that there will be a huge surge in divorce filings.”
As Florida bears the current brunt of coronavirus infections in the United States, time will tell what effect this will have on the state’s marriages. One thing is certain: men and women can benefit from the skilled legal representation and sound counsel of experienced family law and divorce lawyers to guide them to the best possible outcome.
