Judge Allows Woman to Serve Divorce Papers over Facebook
A woman who’s been unable to get in touch with her husband will be allowed to serve him divorce papers over Facebook, a Manhattan judge has decided.
According to the New York Daily News, a Manhattan Supreme Court justice will allow the woman to serve divorce papers through a Facebook Message, since it’s one of the only ways she’s able to get in touch with him. Her attorney will have to message the divorce summons once a week for three weeks or until the message is acknowledged.
“I think it’s new law, and it’s necessary,” the attorney, Andrew Spinnell, tells the Daily News.
This appears to be an exceptional circumstance rather than a new norm for how divorce papers can be served. The woman’s husband reportedly hasn’t had a permanent address since 2011. During occasional phone calls, he’s also said to have refused to make himself available to be given the papers. Spinnell says a private investigator was even hired, unsuccessfully.
The Daily News reports that Facebook is being used because, along with phone calls, it’s one of two ways that the husband has kept in touch with his wife since the two split around 2009. Apparently, the first Facebook message has already gone out, without response.
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