Valentine’s Day may be an occasion for sweethearts to exchange gifts, but it has increasingly become a time for divorce, according to a new study.
Data compiled by Avvo.com, a site that offers free ratings and profiles for lawyers and licensed MDs, found that divorce filings skyrocket about 40 percent this time of year.
“Over the past two years we’ve seen an average increase of 40 percent in the number of requests for divorce lawyers around Valentine’s Day, compared to the previous six months,” said Mark Britton, founder and CEO of Avvo.
“Furthermore, the number of questions about divorce has soared 36 percent during that same time. Indeed, there’s definitely a major Valentine’s spike when it comes to divorce.”
Kelly Chang, a Los Angeles-based divorce lawyer said she has seen an increase in divorce filings shortly after Valentine’s Day.
“This can be attributed to two major groups of people: the ‘Delayed New Year’s Resoluters’ who are merely moving forward on their resolution to be single, just a month late, and the ‘Waiting to Exhalers,’ who, depending on the actions of their spouses on Valentine’s Day, will either reconcile or file for divorce,” she said.
New Jersey lawyer Cary Cheifetz agreed, saying, “We see a definite spike in divorce cases around Valentine’s Day. I see it as a combination of cabin fever, people waiting until after the holidays and most importantly, people waiting until they know what their spouse’s bonus and income situation will be in the New Year.”