Divorce Filings Pile Up On Valentine's Day, NYC Court Records Show

NEW YORK CITY — Dozens of New York City couples skipped flowers, romance and edible diamond desserts this Valentine's Day and delivered another type of gift instead.

On the most romantic day of the year, 44 people filed for divorce in New York City, Patch counted.

Steven J. Mandel, a prominent local family law attorney, told Patch Valentine's Day is something of an unofficial start to divorce season.

"After New Year's, us, the health clubs and the teeth whitening places have a line out the door,” Mandel said.

His theory? Fed-up couples start trickling in to divorce attorneys' offices soon after the stressful weeks from Thanksgiving to Christmas.

By the time Valentine's Day comes around, former lovebirds start "pulling the trigger" on filing for divorce, Mandel said.

(Beyond being a lawyer for 42 years, Mandel holds a significant credential that arguably makes him an expert on Valentine’s Day divorce decisions: his birthday is Feb. 14.)

So, who in New York City started to legally untie the knot on Valentine's Day?

Perhaps it's a coincidence, but records show that more than half of Valentine's Day divorce filings came from couples who live in the two boroughs with the smallest apartments: Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Eleven of those filings were for potentially acrimonious contested divorces, rather than the more legally amicable uncontested variety, according to records.

Mandel noted that future exes in those contested uncouplings are unlikely to have been served with divorce papers on Valentine's Day itself.

No good divorce attorney would advise a client to serve on the holiday, especially if children are involved, or it’s expected to be contentious, he said.

“You don’t want it to become that emotional,” he said. “That would be classic ‘f---you’ if you served it on Valentine’s Day itself."