The Local Germany

German court can't bear to separate dogs after owners' divorce

Wed, 18 Jan 2017 12:54:30 +0100

A divorcing couple were fighting over how to separate their various dogs. But now a Nuremberg court has weighed in on the interest of the pooches.

Every third German baby born out of wedlock

Fri, 15 Jul 2016 19:00:53 +0200

One in three babies in Germany are born to parents who haven't tied the knot, according to a new report.

Man sues to end alimony over ex's Facebook snaps

Thu, 04 Feb 2016 11:10:28 +0100

A man in Munich asked a judge to relieve him of the duty to pay alimony when he saw pictures on Facebook indicating his former wife was in a relationship – but the court wasn't convinced.

Germans staying married longer, divorcing less

Thu, 23 Jul 2015 19:26:35 +0200

Figures released on Thursday showed that fewer couples sought divorce last year and German marriages are lasting longer on average. But what is keeping more bonds from breaking?

Divorcees wait longer to call it a day

Wed, 31 Jul 2013 10:49:00 +0200

One third of all marriages in Germany will end in divorce, new statistics show. Yet those couples who do so now wait longer than they used to before throwing in the towel.

Divorce deals 'should factor in marriage length'

Sun, 02 Dec 2012 15:10:00 +0100

More importance should be placed on the duration of a marriage when calculating post-divorce maintenance payments, politicians said over the weekend, saying housewives or husbands are at financial risk if their marriage ends.

'Buy your own wine,' court tells divorcee

Tue, 04 Sep 2012 18:27:00 +0200

A Munich district court told a newly divorced woman has no right to the valuable wine collection her husband built up during their marriage, since she never participated in picking out the bottles, it was reported on Tuesday.

Two German 'child kidnappers' held in Italy

Thu, 19 Jul 2012 14:10:00 +0200

Two Germans have been arrested in Italy as part of a group said to be organising cross-border kidnappings of children in disputed custody cases, an Italian news agency said Wednesday.

Priests rebel to include remarried divorcees

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 16:36:00 +0200

German priests are rebelling over accepting remarried divorcees into their churches, forcing a confrontation between their bishop and Catholic authorities.

Love before the law: child custody set for overhaul

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 13:34:00 +0200

In the wake of a European court ruling that German child custody laws discriminated against single fathers, the government is preparing an overhaul. The Local examines the painful reality facing parents when they split up.

Aachen couples have highest national divorce rate

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 09:33:00 +0200

A new study by Men’s Health magazine shows that the key to a long-lasting marriage in Germany could simply lie in the town in which couples live.

Divorce rate on the rise

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 18:51:00 +0200

The number of marriages that ended in divorce is up 3 percent from last year, according to the latest numbers released by the Federal Statistics Office (Destatis) on Wednesday. The German state of Saarland had the highest rate of divorce.

Elderly German divorcées protest east-west benefit gap

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 18:25:00 +0200

On the eve of German Unity Day, a group of divorced women from the former East Germany (GDR) plans to demonstrate in Leipzig against the government's failure to recognize their right to equal social benefits after reunification.

Traditional marriage challenged by new law

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 12:59:00 +0100

“Once a chief physician’s wife, always chief physician’s wife”; a German matrimonial maxim has been consigned to history after the Bundetag passed new alimony laws.