Once served, your spouse has 20 days to respond.
Failure to respond means that the court is likely to award your divorce along the lines of the settlement you offer.
This is called a Default Divorce, and is sometimes used as a low-cost option for couples who believe they can negotiate the issues on their own.
Be careful of pitfalls though. Imagine you’re the spouse filing for divorce with the understanding that your spouse won’t respond, but then they do – with a lawyer by their side.
This leaves you in a very bad position, because the settlement you negotiated, and presumably made compromises to achieve, is now the starting point for your spouse’s new round of negotiation.
Be very careful when considering using the default process to divorce.
The lawyers at Zelenitz, Shapiro & D’Agostino can help protect your financial future.
Call us today at 718-523-1111 and talk to a lawyer for free.