Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt recently announced that their divorce has finally concluded after 8 years. Is this typical? In Wisconsin, how long will your divorce take?

It would be virtually impossible in Wisconsin for a divorce to last 8 years, even with complicated issues as described in the Jolie-Pitt matter. The Wisconsin courts keep a close eye on how long a divorce has been pending and typically have a goal of completing a divorce in a year. Many judges will keep track of divorces that have been pending for a long time and will push the case towards paid mediation or a final trial if it has been pending for over a year.

Depending on the county, on average, a Wisconsin divorce takes less than one year to complete. Certain counties with a high volume of cases may have limited court calendar availability, meaning that you may have up to 4 months between one divorce hearing and the next. If your case has been stagnant for a while, meaning that the parties are not moving towards resolution or not cooperating with one another, the Court will set a final trial date to give the case finality, and to promote agreements. Divorces are hard, and some parties do not want to face the reality of a marriage coming to an end. Pushing a case to a final trial can help parties come to an agreement, since they know they have an end date on their marriage.

Of course, every divorce is fact specific, and some complex divorces may take longer to complete in Wisconsin. In Angelina and Brad’s case, they were only married for two years. Typically, short term divorces are quicker and easier, since assets from a short-term marriage are easier to divide. However, in Angelina and Brad’s case, they faced a multitude of complex issues: custody disputes, dividing their French vineyard, valuing international assets, and judges being substituted. Their property, Chateau Miraval, was purchased for 25 million euros in 2008, and was a main point of contention in this divorce. International assets complicate divorces due to time zone changes, language barriers, converting forms of currency, interpreting property valuations, and determining how to retitle property based on each country’s specific laws.

Further, there were significant allegations about Brad’s potential substance abuse and treatment of the children, resulting in a complicated path to a final placement schedule. The parties reached a temporary custody agreement in 2018 which later fell apart. In 2021, after three years of litigating custody and placement, Brad was granted joint custody.

Interestingly, the Court declared that the couple were officially separated in 2019, but did not finalize the divorce on that date. In Wisconsin, you are not legally separated until the final date of divorce or date of legal separation, where all issues need to be decided.

While Angelina and Brad’s divorce took 8 years, you do not have to worry about that being the case in Wisconsin. Even the most complicated divorces can be resolved in far less time here.

Have any questions or need help in your pending divorce? Give Nelson, Krueger & Millenbach a call at (414) 258-1644 to set up a free consultation.