Sometimes a spouse who is in an abusive situation desires to get a divorce. However, in North Carolina, the spouses must have lived separately from one another for at least one year prior to filing for a divorce. If an abusive spouse refuses to move out, the victim may seek a “divorce from bed and board.”
While not an absolute divorce, this court-ordered separation would force the abusive spouse to leave the marital home. Thus, the victim gains protection, and the clock starts ticking for the year-long requirement for divorce.