The Judgment in an Uncontested Divorce

If there are no problems with your papers and your divorce is granted, the Judge will sign the Judgment and you will be contacted.

Depending on the county where you filed your papers, the County Clerk's Office or the Supreme Court Office will contact you when the Judgment is signed and will tell you how to get it.

 

What is the Judgment

The Judgment is an Order from the court that says that two people are divorced. After the Judge signs the Judgment (1) it must be filed with the County Clerk's Office and (2) the Defendant must be served a copy of it.

 

Filing the Judgment with the County Clerk

The Judgment must be filed with the County Clerk's Office and officially recorded. The County Clerk's Office will stamp the Judgment with the date it was entered into their records.

Depending on the county where you filed your papers, you will have to file the Judgment with the County Clerk's Office or the Supreme Court will file the Judgment with the County Clerk's Office for you. Ask the clerk for more information.

You should get a "certified copy" of the Judgment. A certified copy is stamped as an official copy. You might need it to prove your divorce to government agencies or if you want to remarry. There is usually a fee between $4 and $10 for a certified copy.

 

Serving the Judgment on the Defendant

After the Judgment has been filed with the County Clerk's Office, the Defendant must be served a copy of the Judgment and "Notice of Entry." You can't do this yourself but must ask someone else to do it for you.

Fill out the "Notice of Entry" form and sign it in front of a notary. Make a copy of it and the Judgment. The Judgment must have a stamp on it that says, "entry date."

Give the Judgment and "Notice of Entry" to the person who will give it to the Defendant. This person can either mail the papers or personally hand the papers to the Defendant.

** This is a general information and may not apply to the county where you're filing your uncontested divorce case. Contact the Supreme Court in your county for more information.