14 DAY TRIAL // There are a lot of things one can do on Facebook, but this is an unprecedented case. A Brooklyn woman received permission from a judge to send the divorce papers online, using the social media platform.
It may sound a bit weird at first, but it seems that there was no other way for the woman to get in touch with her husband, New York Daily News reported. She had only heard from him a few times, mostly using Facebook’s messaging system.
The couple got married back in 2009 but has never lived together because of a misunderstanding. Apparently, the husband, Victor Sena Blood-Dzraku, refused to take part in a Ghanian wedding ceremony, and this was the reason behind their estrangement. They never actually got to live under the same roof, and they parted soon after their marriage took place.
Circumstances forced the woman to make the request
Because the man is practically untraceable, having no fixed residence and because he refused multiple times to meet his wife and sign the divorce papers in person, the judge had no other option but to comply to the woman’s request to have them sent via Facebook.
So, if he has logged in recently, then he might have already seen the message from his wife containing an attachment with the documents.
Before agreeing to this request, the court did verify that the Facebook account indeed belonged to the husband and that he had been active on the social network.
It seems that the woman wants to put an end to a marriage that was never consummated and carry on with her life, without feeling connected to a man she has not seen in years.
However, it is very unlikely that there will be any answer from the alienated husband, but the judge can rule a divorce by default and get the issue over with.
This couple will probably pave the way for many others who are in similar situations. More and more people would find it more convenient to use social networks to break away from their estranged partners, rather than having to track them down and hand them the papers in person.