Legal Question in Family Law in Indiana

Absentee Divorce

I was married in Arizona and after 3 years I took our son and left my husband in 1974 and returned to my family. He never wrote, came by or contacted us in ANY way and we never saw him again. I don't know where he is and don't care. I never obtained a divorce because I didn't have the money and didn't want to get remarried. Now I live in Indiana and may be considering marriage and I want to know what is required of me in order to be SURE that I am legally divorced without it costing me an arm and leg.


Asked on 4/06/01, 11:16 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Dorene Philpot Philpot Law Office

Re: Absentee Divorce

You can divorce someone who you cannot locate by giving notice through an ad.

Indiana statutes specifically outline how the ad is supposed to be run, and if you follow that to a T, you can have that considered notice.

That should be a paperwork-type divorce and shouldn't cost you a lot of money.

The attorney should charge you a minimal retainer, the filing fee of $100, plus whatever the ad costs. (It's about $80 if you run it 3x in the Indianapolis Recorder, for example.)

Hope this helps!

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Answered on 6/06/01, 8:28 am


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