Marital misconduct refers to conduct that is alleged to have caused the erosion of a marriage. In some states the spouse found guilty of marital misconduct will be adversely affected during property division, distribution of spousal support, or awarding attorney's fees.
This case from Washington, explains that marital misconduct “refers to immoral or physically abusive conduct within the marital relationship and does not encompass gross fiscal improvidence, the squandering of marital assets or, the deliberate and unnecessary incurring of tax liabilities.”
[Last updated in April of 2022 by the Wex Definitions Team]