Click here for updates on this story
New York, USA (WCBS) — 2020 has been an unprecedented year because of COVID-19 and the global pandemic has impacted virtually every part of our lives. While divorce rates have been on the rise in the United States for the last few decades, coronavirus has increased the number of divorce cases for lawyers across the country.
Michelle C. Thomas is a divorce lawyer in Washington D.C. and says she has never been busier.
“It’s been nuts for the past few months. Divorce filings have skyrocketed since the reopen following the quarantine,” said Thomas, in an interview with CBS Local’s DJ Sixsmith. “It’s sort of like the pandemic created a perfect storm for couples who were already contemplating divorce. Marriage is hard enough and with COVID-19, it’s that much harder for so many families. Think about it, you’re locked in a house for months on end. It’s brought a lot of the issues that were previously swept under the rug to the surface. Couples who may have been able to tolerate each other for a few hours were stuck and all of the social outlets were taken away from us.”
Thomas believes the financial issues brought along by the pandemic have put additional strains on many marriages. The lawyer said she saw a huge spikes in calls to her office in July when courts began to reopen. Thomas had clients who wanted to have a consultation as soon as possible.
“The last data and statistics I’ve seen said there’s been a 30% increase in divorce filings post-quarantine and that definitely sounds about right,” said Thomas. “We have been bombarded. We meaning divorce practitioners. This was just the straw that broke the camel’s back. The courts are backlogged and unless you have some urgent, emergency situation, you should expect to wait to get your case back on the docket. All the cases from March-June that were cancelled have to be rescheduled. You should expect to wait, which is why I encourage people to settle the legal issues they have. If you do get to court, it’s so weird doing these trials by Zoom on child custody and alimony.”
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
Regulators authorized AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine for use in adults throughout the European Union on Friday, amid criticism the bloc is not moving fast enough to vaccinate its population.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A former FBI lawyer was sentenced to probation for altering an email that the Justice Department relied on during its surveillance of an aide to President Donald Trump during the Russia investigation.
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Tony Evers lashed out Friday at rival Republicans who tried to repeal his statewide mask mandate, saying killing the order would be a ridiculous move comparable to abolishing speed limits.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — As some conservatives in South Carolina celebrated getting a bill that would ban almost all abortions in the state past a legislative barrier and likely becoming law, they said they are not finished trying to end all abortions.
A Moscow court on Friday put the brother and several allies of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny under house arrest for two months as authorities sought to stymie more protests over the jailing of the top Kremlin foe.