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 marriage that once began in the quiet of Bennington, Vermont in May 2000 has now unraveled under the burden of illness, financial imbalance, and years of irreconcilable strain. On April 1, 2025, Peri Pugh, 50, filed a petition in the Circuit Court of Cook County to dissolve her 25-year union with 51-year-old Joseph Pugh. The case outlines not just the collapse of a relationship, but the economic and physical disparity that has emerged in its wake.
Peri, unable to work due to a disability, alleges that the marriage has broken down irretrievably due to irreconcilable differences, with any attempts at reconciliation deemed futile. She seeks a just division of marital property, the assignment of her non-marital assets, and a measure of spousal support that reflects her health limitations and inability to sustain income. Represented by attorneys Colleen M. Breems and Victoria R. Paton of Beermann LLP, Peri requests that the court bar Joseph from receiving maintenance and instead compel him to contribute to her legal fees.
Joseph, by contrast, is employed full-time as an editor at the Chicago Tribune, with a steady income and access to substantial assets. Their only child, now 20, is legally emancipated, leaving the financial aftermath of their long marriage the primary legal concern.
The filing is both methodical and urgent, seeking not only relief but recognition: that a quarter-century of shared life, now punctuated by separation and imbalance, deserves a settlement grounded in fairness—not nostalgia.
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