Glossary
Marital Dissolution Agreement
The written contract between spouses resolving property, debts, and support, which the court approves and incorporates into the divorce decree.
Also called: MDA, settlement agreement
An MDA is the document that divides a marriage financially. It allocates real property, vehicles, bank and retirement accounts, business interests, and debts, and it sets out any alimony.
Once the court approves it and incorporates it into the final decree, it functions as a court order. That has two consequences worth understanding before signing. Obligations in it can be enforced through contempt proceedings rather than an ordinary lawsuit. And property terms are generally not modifiable later, even if circumstances change, unlike parenting and support terms.
The provisions that cause the most difficulty afterwards are usually the vague ones: who refinances what and by when, how a jointly owned house is sold, and what happens if one party does not perform.
General information about Tennessee law, not legal advice. How this applies depends on the facts of your matter.
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