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Domestic Relations Assignment #3
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Question:
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Your brother wants to divorce his wife of five years. He and his soon-to-be ex-wife live in Florida and have two daughters, ages 7 and 3. He read a story in the paper (see below) about quickie Dominican Republic divorces and would like to do the same thing. He comes to you for an explanation as to what steps are required to obtain a divorce there. In addition, he would like to know under what circumstances, if any, Florida will recognize the divorce. Lastly, he’s in a hurry because he wants to marry someone else, who happens to be two months pregnant. [Note: information on Dominican divorces is readily available on the Internet. I looked. Information on recognition of foreign divorces in Florida should be available on Lexis. If you can’t find Dominican divorces specifically, just use the requirements for foreign divorces instead.]
News Story:
“Marc Anthony traveled to the Dominican Republic to file for divorce from his wife, the former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres. The divorce papers, signed by both, were submitted at a civil court in Santo Domingo. A Dominican law allows some nonresidents to file for divorce in this Spanish-speaking Caribbean nation. There was a closed door hearing and the court has three days to issue a decision. Ms. Torres did not appear. The couple was originally married in a civil ceremony in Las Vegas in May 2000. They briefly separated in 2002, but renewed their vows in Puerto Rico later that year. They have two young sons. Before Anthony filed in the Dominican Republic, Torres had filed a petition for dissolution of marriage with children on January 20 in Miami-Dade Circuit Court. It wasn’t clear how the Dominican petition would affect the one in Florida, but divorce proceedings in the Dominican Republic are generally quicker. All parties are American citizens.”
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