Dissolution of Marriage
The process of getting a divorce begins with filing a petition for disolution. Once an action is filed by a Petitioner, the other party, Respondent, must be personally served with the petition. The Respondent then has 30 days to file responding papers with the Court. If they fail to do so, the Petition can ask for an entry of default. Once default is entered, the Petitioner can complete the divorce proceeding without the participation of the Respondent.
If the Respondent files the necessary responding papers, the case will then proceed as either a contest or uncontested matter. The case is considered contested if the parties are not able to agree on all the issues and the Court is needed to resolved the unresolved issues. The matter is considered uncontested if the parties are able to resolve all their issues and the matter can proceed to its conclusion by submitting the necessary signed papers for the Court’s signature.
