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Motion to Vacate Default Judgement of Divorce

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LCMoon

Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Florida / Washington

I'm trying to be as specific and detailed as I can the first time.

My ex Husband and I split in July 2015. No children together. I went to Washington State and he went to Florida. He still had an active Florida drivers licence while I did not have residency established in Washington, my home state yet, so I insisted he file for divorce in Florida ASAP. I provided him with the address of my grandparents that would forward directly to my impending and newly acquired apartment. I hadn't physically moved into my apartment yet at the time. In the month of September 2015 he was on the phone with me and disclosed how his VA benefits had been flagged and he was notified that he was under investigation by US ARMY CID. We are both veterans. I asked a bunch of questions about why, when how etc and he said that I just shouldn't speak to any police that come knocking since we didn't know what the investigation was actually about, especially without lawyers, and as we were married as well as in the same unit that they would come looking for me as well soon enough. In the month of October 2015 I changed my full legal name. I did not hide this from him. I had shared with him*for years my intention of changing my name. He also had known the name I was changing it to. He was even on the phone with me when I was at the court house scheduling the hearing for the name change.
In the month of September 2015 the husband called me wanting to get some papers "signed and notarized" at 4am on a Saturday. I hung up on him after I said he could call at a godly hour on a day that the court house was actually open. He sent me a text immediately after saying "consider yourself blocked forever. Good riddance."
At this point none of the divorce aspects had been addressed or filed. I attempted many many times to communicate about the pending investigation with CID and the divorce over the next 4 months. I had every intention of signing a Joinder or anything to just handle it out of court with him amicably. I didn't receive anyword whatsoever or response in anyway after that text.
I was approached multiple times, to the point of harassment, in many ways by police. I moved into a secure apartment building not too long after the phone call and police officers had managed to come to my door on more than one occasion asking for my prior legal name. I would tell the police; I didn't call you, I didn't let you in and if you don't have a warrant or business to clearly state then you are not welcome and need to leave. Police came to my work. I would state the same. They also came to my father's work looking for me. (My adoptive father is Federal Special Agent with another investigation bureau.) He told me there were officers looking for me but he also turned them away. He also told me he had received messages from Detectives and officers attempting to find me that were threatening the integrity of my discharge as well as my access to my VA benefits. I turned every officer away who refused to answer my question as to what their business was. Which was basically every single one. None went to the address that I had given my ex spouse for the divorce. So I was very much so under the impression these were all Army related inquiries.
In January 2016 I became pregnant with my first child. I sent emails informing him. Still having heard no word from the spouse about anything else. Time went on. In the month of June 2016 my mom called me and told me she received a letter to her home from the spouse and she had taken the initiative to go through the mail for me and informed me that he had filed a motion for a Default Judgement of Divorce. She asked me if I had been served. I told her I hadn't received any papers nor signed any Notice of Service. My deductive reasoning tells me that the officer with the intent to serve me my divorce papers was in the mesh of the others somewhere. She gave me a phone number the spouse had listed inside and told me a court date was listed for July 5 2016. About 5 days later. She then resealed and "return to sender" the mailings.
I attempted to call and text the number she gave me and I said to the spouse that this was the first I became aware of his filing for the divorce. I was not disagreeing with the divorce however, I am currently pregnant and as I doubt he included that information in the divorce despite all my attempts to communicate, I'd be more than willing to let the divorce stand as a "Default Judgement" if he simply signed a Denial of Paternity and took a DNA test before the birth and filing of the BC. I would even pay for it. He did not respond or acknowledge. I then attempted to reach out to him in many other ways informing him that a divorce decree was not enough to prevent a situation of legally "presumed paternity". I informed him that he technically had until the birth to sign these papers and submit to a DNA test but my hand would be forced, if he refused, to file a birth certificate with his name on it. Then the Department of Child Support would take up a case in my behalf and pursue him for child support. (I was forced in August 2016 to apply for some welfare benefits because I lost my work and school funding as a direct result of a serious illness (Pneumonia) that required hospitalization. I will be on these benefits for a bit after birth until I am able to work reliably again. His refusal to sign a Denial of Paternity thus far has also played a direct role in my inability to procure reliable work or return to school again.) Then I will be forced to file a Motion to Vacate the Default Judgement of Divorce as we would then have a "child of the marriage" whose general welfare was not addressed in the divorce. I gave detailed information in all of the messages including the location of the corresponding legislation, forms and process. I even sent pictures of my ultrasounds in case he thought I was lying or something.
I had never disclosed to him that I have PCOS (a female reproductive issue that causes pretty severe infertility issues) because he has a tendency to use sensitive secrets in abusive ways. For example, after 3 years of trying to conceive with no success, he would verbalize his own conclusion for the real issue was that it was my fault because I must just be a whore. That kind of emotional abuse didn't encourage me to tell him the truth at all. About a number of things. So I thought maybe a reason he wasn't responding was he thought I was lying and even being "crazy". I in no way trust this man to leave his rights to the child open ended.
On September 19 2016 he finally responded to me on Facebook and said in writing that he had indeed received all of my messages, that he didn't care, he wasn't going to cooperate with me about anything EVER. I attempted to reiterate facts I had listed in my prior lengthy messages that detailed the applicable laws and situations, that if he allowed his name to be placed on the birth certificate at this point knowing he wasn't the bio dad that the courts could deny him the opportunity to an admissible DNA test. It would really just be best to sign the Denial of Paternity. He then emphatically stated he didn't care if the courts denied him a DNA test, he didn't want one or need one anyway, and he had been ignoring me, the messages and my existence on purpose. Then he ended the conversation with, "I'll only correspond with the proper authorities, have a good life jaja." (The idiot doesn't even speak Spanish)
I do not wish to be married to this man but at this point I am really just thinking of what I need to do for my firstborn. Custody, visitation etc. I can't imagine him being anything but abusive and malicious to My child. Especially based on how he treated me and the fact this isn't his biological child. My intent is to wait until I have to file the birth certificate with his name before I begin filing Motions in Florida to set aside the Default Judgement, as I want to give him until the very last moment to cooperate.
So my questions are; 1. Do I have a good cause of extrinsic fraud as a solid reason to Vacate the Default Judgement based on his manipulation about refusing to speak to police and intentionally using the incorrect contact information? Or what about the refusal to include the pregnancy in the paperwork originally? Will I have to possibly Petition the courts to Dismiss the entire Divorce With Prejudice because he would have filed the incorrect papers having claimed we had no property or children, but now we do as a direct result of his negligence and behavior? Then there's the aspect besides fraud, that the welfare and conditions of the child were not addressed in the divorce? Is that a viable enough reason to Vacate the Default Judgement in itself? Or could I just wrap it all up in one Motion to Vacate the Divorce like a bullet proof burrito?
P.s. my ideal situation would be to get the entire divorce dismissed from Florida so I could refile myself in the State of Washington so that custody as well as child support would all be in one place and in the same place as the child.
 


justalayman

Senior Member
I'm only going to make a few comments, the first of which is you need an attorney to fix all the problems you caused yourself.

If you gave your parents address as your legal address and if mail is a valid means of service for anything involved, you were served properly and your failure to respond is your fault. That means no basis for a vacation of the existing order. Legal documents are not forwarded by the USPS. Since it appears your parents actually received your mail and failed to give it to you, blame your parents for your problems.

Putting your ex as father on birth certificate isn't going to happen. If you aren't married at the time of the birth your state is not going to attempt to adjudicate the matter through administration. Single mothers do not get to put a fathers name on the BC unless the claimed father acknowledges paternity. At this point you would have to sue him for paternity. Suing to establish paternity, knowing he is not the father, is an abuse of process and fraud.





Regardless, you've messed this up so badly you really need a lawyer to help you straighten things out.
 

LdiJ

Senior Member
I'm only going to make a few comments, the first of which is you need an attorney to fix all the problems you caused yourself.

If you gave your parents address as your legal address and if mail is a valid means of service for anything involved, you were served properly and your failure to respond is your fault. That means no basis for a vacation of the existing order. Legal documents are not forwarded by the USPS. Since it appears your parents actually received your mail and failed to give it to you, blame your parents for your problems.

Putting your ex as father on birth certificate isn't going to happen. If you aren't married at the time of the birth your state is not going to attempt to adjudicate the matter through administration. Single mothers do not get to put a fathers name on the BC unless the claimed father acknowledges paternity. At this point you would have to sue him for paternity. Suing to establish paternity, knowing he is not the father, is an abuse of process and fraud.





Regardless, you've messed this up so badly you really need a lawyer to help you straighten things out.
I agree that while the law might make him the presumed father, you cannot and should not put him on the BC if you are divorced when the baby is born. You should list no father at all.

If the actual father of the child wants rights, then let him sue to establish paternity legally. If the state wants to go after someone for support, then be brutally honest about the situation and let them take it from there.

There is no need to vacate the default judgment of divorce.
 

LCMoon

Member
I'm only going to make a few comments, the first of which is you need an attorney to fix all the problems you caused yourself.

If you gave your parents address as your legal address and if mail is a valid means of service for anything involved, you were served properly and your failure to respond is your fault. That means no basis for a vacation of the existing order. Legal documents are not forwarded by the USPS. Since it appears your parents actually received your mail and failed to give it to you, blame your parents for your problems.

Putting your ex as father on birth certificate isn't going to happen. If you aren't married at the time of the birth your state is not going to attempt to adjudicate the matter through administration. Single mothers do not get to put a fathers name on the BC unless the claimed father acknowledges paternity. At this point you would have to sue him for paternity. Suing to establish paternity, knowing he is not the father, is an abuse of process and fraud.





Regardless, you've messed this up so badly you really need a lawyer to help you straighten things out.
1. I did not give my parents address as the contact address. He used it on his own volition and without permission or knowledge to anyone. I gave the husband my grandmother's address because that was where I legally resided for the interim until I moved into my own residence. This was listed on the court proceedings for my name change, which is what made it my "current legal residence" at the time. And I never mentioned USPS. HOWEVER. The Police, who are the most common Service providers in interstate Process of Service have the ability to locate my address through the USPS system, (let alone by social security number so no matter what address he had listed they SHOULD HAVE been able to locate me and serve me properly regardless and yet. I was not.) which like I said in my excerpt, was listed as my forwarding address from my residence at my grandmother's home.

2. Mailing anything is not considered adequate service for the initial petitioning of a divorce in the State of Florida.

3. Your input "If you aren't married at the time of the birth your state is not going to attempt to adjudicate the matter through administration." is highly erroneous. Read the legislation that pertains. Washington State Legislation RCW 26.26.116. It's the law. He is considered the father as spouse. The truth is actually nearly opposite to what you have written.
But thank you.
 

LdiJ

Senior Member
1. I did not give my parents address as the contact address. He used it on his own volition and without permission or knowledge to anyone. I gave the husband my grandmother's address because that was where I legally resided for the interim until I moved into my own residence. This was listed on the court proceedings for my name change, which is what made it my "current legal residence" at the time. And I never mentioned USPS. HOWEVER. The Police, who are the most common Service providers in interstate Process of Service have the ability to locate my address through the USPS system, (let alone by social security number so no matter what address he had listed they SHOULD HAVE been able to locate me and serve me properly regardless and yet. I was not.) which like I said in my excerpt, was listed as my forwarding address from my residence at my grandmother's home.

2. Mailing anything is not considered adequate service for the initial petitioning of a divorce in the State of Florida.

3. Your input "If you aren't married at the time of the birth your state is not going to attempt to adjudicate the matter through administration." is highly erroneous. Read the legislation that pertains. Washington State Legislation RCW 26.26.116. It's the law. He is considered the father as spouse. The truth is actually nearly opposite to what you have written.
But thank you.
He is the "presumptive father". That is a little different. You KNOW that he is not the actual father of the child therefore you should not be operating as if he was. You should be listing no father at all on the BC and should be filing to disestablish paternity and establish paternity of the actual father (or let the actual father file to establish paternity) immediately after the child is born.

There is no need to vacate the divorce to do that. Please get yourself a consult with a local attorney because you are clearly attempting to make this far more complicated than it already is.
 

LCMoon

Member
I agree that while the law might make him the presumed father, you cannot and should not put him on the BC if you are divorced when the baby is born. You should list no father at all.

If the actual father of the child wants rights, then let him sue to establish paternity legally. If the state wants to go after someone for support, then be brutally honest about the situation and let them take it from there.

There is no need to vacate the default judgment of divorce.
1. Your first statement is counterintuitive. If the law presumed the spouse as father, I have no other legal recourse but to abide by it. There is a chance you missed where I said I am in Washington and the divorce is in Florida. So Paternity laws are through Washington. Washington State Legislation RCW 26.26.116. So saying I cannot place him as father is a highly erroneous comment to make. If I listed no father at all or the biological father instead of the spouse I would actually be in jeapordy of being penalized for paternity fraud.
2. Your second paragraph is true. And I have already been honest and the information the Department of Child Support gave me is that I am to abide by the law (RCW 26.26.116) and they will pursue the spouse for child support whether he is the biological father or not based on his conduct (RCW 26.26.535) and refusal to submit to a DNA test (RCW 26.26.600).
3. There is indeed a reason to Vacate the judgement of Divorce. The motive of putting into legally binding and enforceable parameters the conditions in which the husband is allowed to behave and conduct himself around the child that he has legal rights and obligations over.
 

LCMoon

Member
1. Your first statement is counterintuitive. If the law presumed the spouse as father, I have no other legal recourse but to abide by it. There is a chance you missed where I said I am in Washington and the divorce is in Florida. So Paternity laws are through Washington. Washington State Legislation RCW 26.26.116. So saying I cannot place him as father is a highly erroneous and misguided comment to make. If I listed no father at all or even if I listed the biological father with an Acknowledgement of Paternity (RCW 26.26.305) instead of the spouse I would actually be in jeapordy of being penalized for paternity fraud. Furthermore, the Department of Child Support would easily find out if I lied as Marriage and Divorce certificates are public records and the very first thing they look into when the paternity of a child is in question is the marital status of the mother.
2. Your second paragraph is true. And I have already been honest and the information the Department of Child Support gave me is that I am to abide by the law (RCW 26.26.116) and they will pursue the spouse for child support whether he is the biological father or not based on his conduct (RCW 26.26.535) and refusal to submit to a DNA test (RCW 26.26.600).
3. There is indeed a reason to Vacate the judgement of Divorce. The motive of putting into legally binding and enforceable parameters the conditions in which the husband is allowed to behave and conduct himself around the child that he has legal rights and obligations over.
 

LdiJ

Senior Member
1. Your first statement is counterintuitive. If the law presumed the spouse as father, I have no other legal recourse but to abide by it. There is a chance you missed where I said I am in Washington and the divorce is in Florida. So Paternity laws are through Washington. Washington State Legislation RCW 26.26.116. So saying I cannot place him as father is a highly erroneous comment to make. If I listed no father at all or the biological father instead of the spouse I would actually be in jeapordy of being penalized for paternity fraud.
2. Your second paragraph is true. And I have already been honest and the information the Department of Child Support gave me is that I am to abide by the law (RCW 26.26.116) and they will pursue the spouse for child support whether he is the biological father or not based on his conduct (RCW 26.26.535) and refusal to submit to a DNA test (RCW 26.26.600).
3. There is indeed a reason to Vacate the judgement of Divorce. The motive of putting into legally binding and enforceable parameters the conditions in which the husband is allowed to behave and conduct himself around the child that he has legal rights and obligations over.
Again, you need to consult an attorney. You are making a much bigger mess than needs to be made.
 

LCMoon

Member
He is the "presumptive father". That is a little different. You KNOW that he is not the actual father of the child therefore you should not be operating as if he was. You should be listing no father at all on the BC and should be filing to disestablish paternity and establish paternity of the actual father (or let the actual father file to establish paternity) immediately after the child is born.

There is no need to vacate the divorce to do that. Please get yourself a consult with a local attorney because you are clearly attempting to make this far more complicated than it already is.
What you're saying is logical however it is not legal. Washington state Paternity laws clearly state that a husband is presumed father unless one of two conditions are met (RCW 26.26.310) OR (RCW 26.26.600) He must willfully participate in both.
There is no such thing as "presumptive father" in Washington State paternity legislation. A husband is strictly referred to as "presumed father". An assumption until proven otherwise.
Actually It is my legal representation as well as the Department of Child Support, DSHS and the Registrars Office (you know the people you file the Birth Certificate with) as well as the laws provided in the Law Library that is open to the public for reading, pertaining to my circumstance that has given me this information. The law is complicated. I am LITERALLY quoting the law.
 

LCMoon

Member
Again, you need to consult an attorney. You are making a much bigger mess than needs to be made.
Read the law where it says "reasons to deny a Disestablishment of Paternity and/it DNA test" the very first line says "the conduct of the presumed father estops the party from denying parentage" the follow up reasons are "refusing to submit to a DNA test." and there's another part that says "he intentionally attempts to prevent the biological father from asserting his rights" and yet another part that says "he was in full knowledge of the question of his biological relationship and still did nothing to prevent his name from being legally placed"
I did not write the law.
 

LCMoon

Member
Again, you need to consult an attorney. You are making a much bigger mess than needs to be made.

Here. Just do yourself a favor and read the Paternity laws of Washington state instead of giving your opinion. I wasn't asking about paternity anyway. RCW CHAPTER 26.26 UNIFORM PARENTAGE ACT http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=26.26
My attorney is actually an ADA with Washington State as I am on public assistance through DSHS and the Department of Child Support are the ones walking me through the process of the birth certificate. Once that is complete then CUSTODY AND VISITATION will have to be addressed which is where my questions lay.
 

LdiJ

Senior Member
Again, you need to consult an attorney. You are making a much bigger mess than needs to be made.

Here. Just do yourself a favor and read the Paternity laws of Washington state instead of giving your opinion. I wasn't asking about paternity anyway. RCW CHAPTER 26.26 UNIFORM PARENTAGE ACT http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=26.26
My attorney is actually an ADA with Washington State as I am on public assistance through DSHS and the Department of Child Support are the ones walking me through the process of the birth certificate. Once that is complete then CUSTODY AND VISITATION will have to be addressed which is where my questions lay.
You do not have an attorney. The attorney you are speaking to represents the state, not you. You need your own attorney. There is no need to continue to try to force me to your point of view. Do whatever you want to do.
 

LCMoon

Member
You do not have an attorney. The attorney you are speaking to represents the state, not you. You need your own attorney. There is no need to continue to try to force me to your point of view. Do whatever you want to do.
Now I understand why they say never Google for your answers. Because you won't get any that are viable or even pertinent. I do not give a xxx* if that man is forced to pay child support for 18 years for a child that isn't his because he's dumb as hell and won't sign a Denial of Paternity or submit to a DNA test. I don't know any male in their right mind who would fight so hard to do so. . so let him do it! I have no wish nor intention of wasting any of my money fighting the idiot out of paying me money he so obviously desires to pay me! I have no intention of stressing out over the xxx and his motives. If he wants to be my baby daddy then go for it! So ACTUALLY the STATE attorney DOES represent my interests as well as my child's. My ONLY QUESTIONS HAD TO DO WITH MY NEXT STEPS IN HANDLING CUSTODY/visitation in the divorce!!!!!!!!!!!! Which is an aspect (the custody and visitation etc) Id have to deal with no matter whom was placed on the birth certificate. DAMN JUST ANSWER THE QUESTIONS. Why is it so damn difficult for people to answer the questions posed instead of giving opinions in areas superfluous to the MOTIVE of the content? Like. . I want to know if his manipulative and slimy behavior with intentionally misleading me to turn away all the police officers (before I was ever pregnant so it OBVIOUSLY had nothing to do with that!!) and purposefully using a random address we had not agreed to LIKE WE HAD AGREED TO USE MY GRANDMOTHERS ADDRESS is a sound reason for extrisic fraud???. Or would I even have to file a Motion based on fraud at all when we now have a "child of the marriage"?? Could I just file a damn Motion saying I just want to talk about custody and ****? I was hoping to be able to combine everything in one jurisdiction though. Child support is in Washington. Custody would be in Florida because that's where the divorce is. . SO IDEALLY I'd want the original divorce vacated ONLY SO I COULD FILE IT ALL TOGETHER in WA where the baby is. But that's the ideal scenario.
 
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justalayman

Senior Member
1. I did not give my parents address as the contact address. He used it on his own volition and without permission or knowledge to anyone. I gave the husband my grandmother's address because that was where I legally resided for the interim until I moved into my own residence. This was listed on the court proceedings for my name change, which is what made it my "current legal residence" at the time. And I never mentioned USPS. HOWEVER. The Police, who are the most common Service providers in interstate Process of Service have the ability to locate my address through the USPS system, (let alone by social security number so no matter what address he had listed they SHOULD HAVE been able to locate me and serve me properly regardless and yet. I was not.) which like I said in my excerpt, was listed as my forwarding address from my residence at my grandmother's home.

2. Mailing anything is not considered adequate service for the initial petitioning of a divorce in the State of Florida.

3. Your input "If you aren't married at the time of the birth your state is not going to attempt to adjudicate the matter through administration." is highly erroneous. Read the legislation that pertains. Washington State Legislation RCW 26.26.116. It's the law. He is considered the father as spouse. The truth is actually nearly opposite to what you have written.
But thank you.
Is he still the husband? You said you are divorced, right? I guess your lack of timeline is my fault since I had to
Guess but be sure to come on back and tell me I'm wrong and the hospital did put your ex husbands name as
Father because you claim your divorce was less than 300 days prior to the child's birth

Ya see, I didn't say the law didn't consider him the presumptive father. I said the hospital is not going to make a legal determination through administrative action.

It was my error regarding your parents address and your grandparents.


Since you believe you have everything under control I'll bow out.


Edit to add;

Not placing a father on the birth certificate will cause you no problems legally. Putting the bio father on there could.

You placing your ex on the birth certificate knowing he is not the father also can be problematic for you.


All of that is different than child support services utilizing the law to presume paternity to engage him in a child support action.
 
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