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Chapter 12
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Adoption | Legal process that creates a parent-child relationship. |
| Alimony | The support paid by the wage earner of the family to the other spouse. |
| Annulment | Court order that cancels a marriage because of a problem that existed from the beginning of the marriage. |
| Bigamist | Person who is married to two or more people at the same time. |
| Child Custody | Care and control of a minor. |
| Child Support | Money paid by a parent to provide a child with economic maintenance. |
| Civil Union | An alternative form of an interpersonal legal union, which is similar to marriage. |
| Common-Law Marriage | Marital relationship legalized by the couple holding themselves out as partners and sharing home and property for an extended period. |
| Dissolution | Step in termination of a partnership that precedes the winding-up process; also, term for divorce or the ending of a marriage in some states. |
| Divorce | Court action terminating a marriage. |
| Marital Consortium | Mutual obligations of married partners undertaken to fulfill the purpose of their union. |
| Marriage | Legal union of two people as a married couple. |
| No-Fault Divorce | Divorce procedure in which no cause need be shown for termination of the union. |
| Prenuptial Agreement | Legal contract resolving property and other claims that might result from a marriage. |
| Separation | Stage in the divorce process in which the spouses maintain their marital rights and obligations but do not live together. |
| Void Marriage | Marriage considered invalid from the beginning. |
| Voidable Marriage | Valid marriage that can be terminated by one or both parties due to improper grounds. |