Question: I understand that if my husband CLAIMS he does not know my current address that all he has to do is post something that he has filed for divorce in the newspapers legal section,how can I find out if he has filed or not? I do not trust him.
Answer:
If you live in Maricopa County, you can simply check the court's website for evidence of the family law filing, which is public record.
Other counties may have similar websites, too. But in any event, each county will have some procedure by which you can access the public records to find out what is going on. It is actually fairly common for a petitioner to claim that s/he cannot find the respondent, and simply apply for permission to perform "service" of the papers by newspaper publication.
June 24, 2007
Legal Services Corporation