The Petition is the legal paper that asks the court to legally end the marriage and to issue other orders necessary to deal with the spouses’ property and debts as well as financial support. If children are involved, the Petition also should include specific requests for custody, parenting time and child support. The Petition is an important legal document because generally the court cannot give a spouse anything that is not requested and included in the Petition. As with all papers filed in court, the form of the Petition must comply with court rules and state laws governing size, spacing and content.
