Please help!

[ajsmommy]

How can you finalize your divorce if you can't locate your spouse? I filed papers with the court in Feb. 2007, knowing where he was and he never accepted the papers and now my case has been closed. I now have to re-open my case or spend another $350 to file again. I don't want to file again without knowing how to finalize it this time. We have been separated for over 3 years, and I now have a 4 month old baby. I desperately need some advice on how to end this for good!

[Xena]

Originally Posted by ajsmommy How can you finalize your divorce if you can't locate your spouse? I filed papers with the court in Feb. 2007, knowing where he was and he never accepted the papers and now my case has been closed. I now have to re-open my case or spend another $350 to file again. I don't want to file again without knowing how to finalize it this time. We have been separated for over 3 years, and I now have a 4 month old baby. I desperately need some advice on how to end this for good!

Check with your local court clerk to see what the requirements are for filing and serving by publication.

Once you prove to the court that you cannot locate spouse, you will be able to recieve a default divorce.

You are very helpful here Xena.

Thank you Xena! I have contacted them and I have to exhaust every effort to try and contact him. So I am trying that right now. I have located his uncle on myspace, left him a message, and he never responded. I also found my ex's page on myspace and left him a message as well. No response yet. How can you use myspace messages as proof of attempting to reach him? That's one question the court didn't answer for me. Thanks though!!

[Xena]

Originally Posted by Unregistered Thank you Xena! I have contacted them and I have to exhaust every effort to try and contact him. So I am trying that right now. I have located his uncle on myspace, left him a message, and he never responded. I also found my ex's page on myspace and left him a message as well. No response yet. How can you use myspace messages as proof of attempting to reach him? That's one question the court didn't answer for me. Thanks though!!

You can print out the pages showing your attempts at contact. I'm assuming that your local rules require you to post a notice in the newspaper also. Have you done that yet? Usually you'll have to post a notice in your local paper, and also one in the local paper where you suspect that spouse is located.

[Xena]

Originally Posted by Unregistered You are very helpful here Xena.

Thank you, I do try to be helpful.

Originally Posted by Xena You can print out the pages showing your attempts at contact. I'm assuming that your local rules require you to post a notice in the newspaper also. Have you done that yet? Usually you'll have to post a notice in your local paper, and also one in the local paper where you suspect that spouse is located.

I have not done that yet because the court told me I need to exhaust every effort to contact him first. If I could not locate him, then they will post it in the paper. Thanks again for the advice!