He won't sign the papers!

My husband and I have been married for 8 years. In November he left me a voice mail that he had packed up and left. He now lives in South Dakota. We have no children and a house that is going into foreclosure, due to his leaving. I have 2 car accident law suits that are waiting to be settled and my husband will not sign the divorce papers that I have given him. He now has 3 copies and will not sign because he thinks he's entitled to my settlement money.
How can I MAKE him sign the papers? Isn't there a form I can get that has a "Signature Deadline" on it? What I mean is, if he doesn't sign by a certain date, that I will the divorce?
I've also heard about posting something in the newspaper? What's that about?

I want this divorce and we have nothing left to separate as far as material goods.

Please help any way you can. I can't afford an attorney right now.

Thanks!

[jim_lee]

Yes, the bank can start foreclosure proceedings if payments have not been made. When your son died, his estate inherited his responsibility to keep up the payments on the house. If he didn't have any liquid assets that could be used for the upkeep, then someone should have stepped in and made payments or the estate should have put the house up for sale as quickly as possibly to avoid exactly this type of situation.

It doesn't sound like probate has really been opened on his estate; if it had and the bank was properly notified, it might have been willing to work with you. Even at this point, someone can step in and put the house up for sale on behalf of the estate to see if that provides a better outcome than letting the bank take the house.

I'm not sure why you think that the father needs to cooperate. Any family member could step in, be appointed as administrator, do whatever is necessary to settle the estate, and then provide the father with whatever funds to which he might be entitled.