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.

A case captioned In re the Marriage of Kathryn A. Ratzlaff and Brian C. Leeper now sits before the Circuit Court of Jackson County, Missouri, Family Court Division, under case number 2616-FC01046. The petition for dissolution, filed February 10, 2026, sets out in straightforward terms the end of a marriage that began on October 1, 2021, and was registered in Lawrence, Douglas County, Kansas.

The filing states that both parties have been residents of Missouri for the requisite period exceeding 90 days before commencement of the action. It records that the parties separated on or about November 1, 2025. No children were born of the marriage, and the petitioner affirms she is not pregnant. The document further notes that neither party is on active duty with the Armed Forces of the United States or its allies.

In language that is at once procedural and definitive, the petition asserts there is no reasonable likelihood the marriage can be preserved and that it is irretrievably broken. The parties are described as able-bodied and capable of providing for their own maintenance; the petitioner contends that an award of maintenance would not be equitable or appropriate, particularly in light of what the filing characterizes as the brief duration of the marriage.

Property and obligations accumulated during the marriage are acknowledged. The petitioner asks the court to approve any marital settlement agreement the parties may enter, or, failing that, to divide marital property and debts in a fair and equitable manner. Each party’s non-marital assets are to be set aside accordingly. While attorney’s fees are not sought at this time, the petition reserves the right to request them should litigation be unnecessarily prolonged.

The filing arrives in the early weeks of the year, a period when households often formalize decisions made in prior months. From here, the matter proceeds by rule and response: service, potential agreement, or adjudication. The petition itself does not argue; it establishes the record and invites the court to complete a process that Missouri law prescribes with deliberate order.

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