In divorce cases, adultery may be defined as willful sexual intercourse by one spouse with an individual other than their spouse. Depending on the state and ability to prove the adultery, adultery may be immediate grounds for commencing a fault-based divorce, which significantly limits the waiting period for divorce in most states. Proving adultery is not as difficult as it may seem in some states. Items such as confessions, reasonable circumstantial evidence, or even third party statements regarding adultery may suffice. Additionally, adultery and other deviances from the marriage may prove to be significant leverage in the child custody and alimony determinations in some cases.