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The case file carries the spare title “In re: the Marriage of,” followed by two names that have shared a household since September 27, 2006. Cynthia Collings Reid and Samuel James Reid were married that day in Las Vegas, Nevada, a union now presented for dissolution in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois. The verified petition was filed February 18, 2026, in the Domestic Relations Division.
Cynthia Collings Reid states that she has been a resident of Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, for at least ninety days preceding the filing. Samuel James Reid is likewise identified as a resident of Chicago. The petition records one child born of the marriage and affirms that no other children were born or adopted during the union and that Cynthia is not pregnant.
Grounds for dissolution are asserted under Illinois statute, with the petition stating that irreconcilable differences have caused an irretrievable breakdown of the marriage and that further attempts at reconciliation would be impractical and not in the family’s best interests. The filing requests sole decision-making responsibility regarding significant matters affecting the child, designation as the residential parent for school enrollment purposes, and the establishment of parenting time. It also seeks child support in accordance with statutory guidelines, contribution to specified expenses, allocation of property and debts, determinations regarding maintenance, and the apportionment of attorney’s fees. The petition notes that no other actions involving the parties are pending in this or any other jurisdiction.
Filed in the latter half of February, as the year’s routines settle into place, the petition converts a private arrangement into a structured legal process. What began in one jurisdiction now proceeds in another, framed by statutory language and enumerated requests. The court’s task will be to translate those requests into orders—assigning responsibilities, dividing assets and debts, and setting terms that mark not only an ending, but the administrative reordering that follows.
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