Yes, as hard as it might be to believe, someone actually got away with serving divorce papers on Facebook. What will they think of next? It takes not wanting to have anything to do with your soon-to-be ex to an entirely new level, doesn’t it? Continue reading, to find out why a Supreme Court judge granted this Facebook users request.
The Failed Marriage
Ellanora Baidoo, a 26 year old nurse living in Brooklyn, New York, was wed to Victor Sena Blood-Dzraku in a civil ceremony. The couple was supposed to have a traditional Ghanaian ceremony afterwards that would have included both families.
Blood-Dzraku, however, did not follow through with the traditional ceremony. Things fell apart not long after that, according to the New York Daily News, the media outlet first to report on the story.
The Elusive Defendant and Facebook Divorce Papers
After refusing to have a ceremony, Blood-Dzraku left the apartment without leaving any sort of contact information or forwarding address where he could be reached. He also broke most forms of contact with the plaintiff.
The only form of contact that he maintained with the plaintiff was online private messaging via Facebook. Blood-Dzraku had no DMV records or fixed place of employment when he left. Because of this, the plaintiff had a difficult time presenting the defendant with a summons for divorce proceedings.
The Legal Action
Because Blood-Dzraku had become so elusive, Baidoo reached out for legal assistance. Because the only reliable contact the two had was through Facebook, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice, Matthew Cooper, ruled that Baidoo was “granted permission to serve defendant with the divorce summons using a private message through Facebook”
The ruling states that the message will be sent again once every week for three weeks, or until the defendant acknowledges the transmittal. Also, Baidoo and her attorney were both to call and text message the defendant in order to tell him that the summons had been sent to him via Facebook. As of this writing, Blood-Dzraku has yet to respond to the summons or other messages.
Your Next Step
If you currently contemplating divorce, chances are you don’t want to serve divorce papers on Facebook. Divorce is hard enough without a lot of added publicity and public criticism.
Do the sensible thing and take a few minutes to contact Galbraith Family Law to set up a private consultation. Our skilled divorce attorneys are available to assist you with your case, no matter how complex it may be. Why not get started today?
