Questions You Want Answered > What is the Court Process? > Do I need to bring a witness to my uncontested divorce hearing? If so, who should be my witness?
Maryland requires independent corroboration of the grounds for divorce. That means that someone other than you and your spouse must testify about the grounds before you can get a divorce. A good uncontested divorce witness is someone who knows you well enough that if you and your spouse had reconciled, you would have told them. They need to be able to identify your spouse, either because they know your spouse as well, or because they have seen a picture of your spouse. They have to be able to testify as to when you separated, and that the separation has been continuous and uninterrupted for at least a year. The ideal witness is someone who sees or talks to you at least weekly, and has visited your house in the week before the uncontested divorce hearing (so they can say they saw no sign that your spouse was living in the house).
Last updated on September 5, 2013 by Karen Robbins, Attorney at Law