Legal Question in Family Law in Alabama

I was wondering if you could give me some advice on how to handle a divorce situation. I got married at 16 because I was bribed by my mother and at the time step father to marry a man 10 years older than myself because he had money and promised to take care of me and my family. Very shortly after I was forced in to this marriage he began to get both physically and mentally abusive to me. He has been arrested once for beating me and leaving marks. He's also had a protection order against him from me because he threatened my life and the life of my family when I finally got the courage to leave him after staying in the abuse for 4 years due to being terrified of what he would do to me when I left. We've been separated now for 5 years and he refuses to sign divorce papers. I have no job right now and I have no means of paying thousands of dollars for a divorce just because he refuses to sign his name. I want NOTHING from him except for him to just give me this divorce so that I can move on with my life and not have to look over my shoulder constantly to see if he is still stalking me. How can I go about getting this handled without having to spend more than $500.00 dollars?


Asked on 10/21/13, 1:20 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Mari Morrison Mari Morrison

You do not have to have your husband consent to the divorce. You just need to file the papers and have him properly served ... this can be done by the Sheriff's office. After 30 days if he does not file anything, then you can file for a default judgment. The filing fee will be around $160 to $225 depending on your county. Depending on your income, you may file indigent status and not have to pay.

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Answered on 10/21/13, 8:58 am


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