Experts predicted a flood of divorce filings as coronavirus lockdowns lifted and courts reopened for non-emergency business, thinking that too much togetherness would cause marital strife. So far, just the opposite appears to have happened, with divorce filings falling drastically.
According to Parent Herald, relationship coach Lee Wilson said earlier in June that couples might have had disagreements in the past, but the quarantine would make it worse. Wilson said the constant tension could trigger the divorce button, but it looks like he was wrong. The number of married people looking to leave has dropped a dramatic 45% in the last four weeks over the typical monthly average, according to the New York Post.
Divorce attorney Val Kleyman told the Post that when New York City announced its lockdown, colleagues warned him to expect an avalanche of cases of couples wanting to split. He said that while he realized that COVID-19 would present a challenge to many marriages, he personally felt that the strong ones would survive.
“Essentially, COVID and quarantines would be a test of relationships and marriages and only those who would have a solid foundation and were in good partnerships would be able to overcome the confinement stress and pressure of the pandemics,” he said.
However, another divorce lawyer told the Post that he’s not too sure we’re out of the divorce danger zone.
“When this virus subsides and the economic outlook stabilizes, there is no question that there will be a huge surge in divorce filings,” said matrimonial trial lawyer Dror Bikel.