NYC Woman Serves Divorce Papers Via Facebook

A New York City judge has allowed a woman to serve her husband with divorce papers via a Facebook direct message. Justice Matthew Cooper ruled that Ellanora Baidoo can serve her estranged husband, Victor Sena Blood-Dzraku, with a divorce notice through the popular social media web site. The extraordinary ruling came after the judge found that Mr. Blood-Dzraku had no permanent address and refused to make himself available to be served court papers by traditional means.

Strange Marriage, Stranger Divorce

The couple’s story begins in 2009. Both Mr. Blood-Dzraku and Ms. Baidoo were immigrants from the African nation of Ghana. The couple married in a civil ceremony in 2009, with the groom promising his bride that they would later have a traditional Ghanian ceremony. Mr. Blood-Dzraku never fulfilled that promise, much to Ms. Baidoo’s frustration. The couple never lived together, nor did they ever consummate the marriage, but kept in contact through telephone calls and Facebook messages.

No Fixed Address for Divorce Papers

According to Ms. Baidoo’s divorce attorney, Mr. Blood-Dzraku has no fixed address and no stable employment. The last known address she had for him was an apartment he moved out of in 2011. Judge Cooper’s ruling stated that Mr. Blood-Dzraku did not leave a forwarding address with the U.S. Post Office, nor does he have any records on file with the state Department of Motor Vehicles. His prepaid cell phone, his only means of contact with his wife, also has no billing address.

Facebook Divorce Process

With no conventional means to contact Mr. Blood-Dzraku, Judge Cooper ruled that Ms. Baidoo’s divorce attorney could send direct messages to his Facebook account informing him of the divorce proceedings. The judge wrote that the attorney could send one message a week for three consecutive weeks, or until Mr. Blood-Dzraku acknowledged receiving any of the messages. The attorney called the process “new law” and said it was “necessary” in this extreme case.

Source: NY Daily News

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