Question about divorce

[Lyric]

I got married at a very young age, and regretted it within a year and a half. We separated in July of 1999, and I haven't seen or spoken with him in over 4 years. I don't even know where he *is*, other than that he's probably living somewhere in the Shenandoah Valley area of Virginia.

My question is this: he told me years ago that he was going to file for divorce, and since we were living in different states, we had no children together, and no property together, I said that was fine with me. But I never got any paperwork, and I have no idea whether we're actually divorced or not.

How do I go about finding out for sure? I *am* sure that if we're divorced, the divorce would have been done in Virginia, so I'm wondering if I can just call the courthouse in Rockingham County or something and see if he actually went through with it.

[Maine-ah]

1. I thought both parties had to sign off

but maybe it's different in Virginia.

[Lyric]

4. He wouldn't have had an address to send the paperwork to

He was abusive and prone to drunken rages, so I didn't give him my address up here in West Virginia. He knows the city, but that's it.

I think that in a case like that, he has to run a newspaper ad or something--at least that's what a friend told me.

[rug]

2. Yes. If not you can file where you live and ask for service by publication at his last known address

[Lyric]

8. Thanks rug

I'll be calling the courthouse in the morning, to see if they can help me.

[rug]

9. You may want to sue for child support. Good luck.

[Lyric]

10. Nah, we didn't have any kids together.

I have one *now*, but it isn't his.

[rug]

11. Well, sue his ass anyway!

On general principle.

:o

[Rabrrrrrr]

3. Suddenly come into a lottery win or millions of dollars inheritance.

If you're married, you'll find out in a couple days.

:7

Seriously, I have no idea. I'd start with your idea of calling the courthouse where it might have been done; but so far as I know, a divorce can't happen without both sides having signed something. So if you are divorced, I think you'd know, because you would have had to do something.

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

5. Check with the courthouse

in the county where he lived. Perhaps, they can point you in the right direction if they have no record of a divorce. Normally, with a divorce you would get served, but service can also be done via publication. In any event, check with the courthouse.

[Lyric]

6. I'll call them first thing tomorrow--thank you

I'm hoping he *did* actually get it done, so I can put that whole messy chapter of my life behind me for good.

[Coyote_Bandit]

7. If you cannot get a certified court document

from a court clerk indicating that you are divorced then you should counsult an attorney and file for divorce. It is something you need to pursue. In most states it is possible for a spouse to be held liable for the obligations of the other spouse. So if he gets sued it is possible that somebody can come to you looking to collect a judgment.

[yardwork]

12. This happened to a friend of mine, too. Eventually he filed for divorce on the basis of abandonment

If the likely courthouses don't have any records, I recommend that you consult an attorney. If you have trouble affording one. try Legal Aid in your county. It should be a simple matter to get divorced at this point if you aren't already.

[lunatica]

13. google search it...

Here's a site where you can find divorce records in Virginia for free.

http://www.publicrecordfinder.com/states/virginia.html

But you can just do a google search as a place to start. I searched for "divorce records in Virginia"