Nolo's Plain-English Law Dictionary
Need Professional Help? Talk to a Lawyer
Enter Your Zip Code to Connect with a Lawyer Serving Your Area
- Extreme Cruelty
- A ground for divorce based on the infliction of physical or mental harm on one spouse by the other. Although all states now have "no-fault divorce," some states still recognize fault as a ground for divorce, and in other states evidence of cruelty may result in division of property that favoring who was the victim of extreme cruelty.