View Full Version : Divorce
clowngirl2013
Nov 6, 2013, 05:00 AM
After I run I run it in the news paper,not knowing where she is,how long before I'm divorced
AK lawyer
Nov 6, 2013, 05:11 AM
Depends on which state or country you are in. And, in most places of which I am aware, you must first get a court order allowing you to serve her by publication. Publishing the notice without prior court permission is likely to require you to re-do it; quite expensive.
ScottGem
Nov 6, 2013, 05:59 AM
Just running an ad does not a divorce make. A divorce is a legal process and has to be granted by a court. Running an ad is a substitute for serving the other party legal notice of the divorce proceeding when their whereabouts are unknown. The way this generally works, is you apply to the courts for a divorce. The court requires that you serve the other party notice. You tell the court you don't know where the other party is. The court offers you some alternatives means of service. The court should specify how long you have to run the ad for and when you can return for finalization.
AK lawyer
Nov 6, 2013, 07:19 AM
Yes. I thought it was obvious, but perhaps not: you have to file a petition for divorce in a court. Unless you are in some third-world country, you cannot divorce your wife by some out-of-court ritual, even if it were to include publishing something in a newspaper.
And the divorce won't be final until the judge signs the final judgment. Normally, this will be after a hearing, even if you are able to achieve service of process by publication (as discussed above) and thereby have default entered against her.