Disclaimer: All facts gleaned from the filings stated hereafter are only as truthful as the petitioner. The tone of this article expresses a style of writing historically employed by America’s greatest writers and, as such, is for opinion purposes only. No intentional harm is due. Do not read if the topic of divorce (even your own) causes you emotional distress. Continue at your own risk.

January has a way of presenting itself as a reset button—new budgets, new strategies, a sense of order restored after chaos. But some reckonings refuse to wait for optimism. January 12, 2026 entered the court record in St. Louis County not as a renewal, but as a formal conclusion, when David M. Hopkins filed a petition for dissolution of marriage against Lori D. Hopkins in Missouri’s 21st Judicial Circuit Court.

The marriage traces back to 1993, registered in St. Louis County during a different era of assumptions and stability. What followed was not a sudden collapse but a prolonged disengagement: the couple separated around 2013, more than a decade before the petition acknowledged what had already become operational fact. By the time the filing arrived, the petition stated plainly that the marriage was irretrievably broken, with no reasonable likelihood of preservation.

There are no unemancipated children, no disputes over custody, and no claims for spousal maintenance. Instead, the petition reads like an after-action report—focused on assets, liabilities, and responsibility. David Hopkins asserts limited income and insufficient resources to support himself or carry the cost of litigation. He contends that Lori Hopkins is capable of covering attorney’s fees and associated costs.

Filed through attorney Scott C. Ehlermann of The Missouri Legal Group, LLC, the petition asks the court to dissolve the marriage; approve any marital settlement agreement should one exist, or alternatively divide marital property and debts in a fair and equitable manner; set aside David Hopkins’s separate property; order Lori Hopkins to pay attorney’s fees and litigation costs; and grant any further relief the court deems just and proper.

January may promise clarity. This filing delivers it—stripped of sentiment, focused on resolution.

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