Gionis v. Superior Court
Court of Appeal of California
248 Cal. Rptr. 741 (1988)
After Aissa Gionis (plaintiff) filed for divorce, custody, and support, her husband Thomas Gionis (defendant) moved to bifurcate the marital-status determination from the remaining issues, arguing the marriage was irretrievably broken with no hope of reconciliation, that finalizing the divorce quickly would let him pursue business and investment transactions without needing Aissa's waiver on each one, and that delaying the divorce decree wouldn't encourage settlement of the other issues; Aissa opposed only on procedural grounds. The trial court denied bifurcation, finding Thomas hadn't shown a compelling reason to bifurcate, and Thomas appealed.
Whether a party seeking to bifurcate the determination of marital dissolution from the remaining property, support, and custody issues must show a compelling reason to do so.