The Initial Court Filings (Petition/Response/Temporary Orders)

The first step in the process of the family court case is the initial filings. This includes the Petition (and all accompanying documents), Affidavit of Service, Response (and all accompanying documents), and potentially filing for temporary orders. You or your spouse must file a Petition for Dissolution (divorce) with the court and serve the other party. Service must be according to the rules of procedure. Most often this is either through a process server or your spouse accepting service by signing an acceptance of service.

Whoever files the documents first is the “Petitioner” the non-filing spouse is the “Respondent”. You will retain these titles throughout the duration of your case, even in modifications that may come years from now. In reality, it does not really matter if you are the Petitioner or Respondent. There are strategic advantages to both.

Contributing Attorney Writer: Billie Tarascio litigates family law and domestic violence cases at Modern Law.