“A legal separation action can be filed by a married person who wishes to maintain his or her marital status but resolve all other issues of the marriage. A legal separation procedure is virtually identical to a dissolution, except that the parties in the legal separation retain their marital status; they remain married and are not free to remarry. And just as in a dissolution, issues regarding child custody and child support, spousal support and the division of property are all resolved in a legal separation. Also, the grounds for a legal separation are the same as required in a dissolution: irreconcilable differences and permanent legal incapacity to make decisions.” (LW Greenberg, California Family Law.)
