Once you have been served with legal paperwork in Florida, the law typically gives you 20 days to respond. This is a relatively short timeframe, so it is important to act quickly.
In a divorce case, there may be steps you want to take before you respond. Perhaps you need to talk to your attorney. Maybe you want to inventory your assets, learn more about your child custody options, gather financial documentation and take other critical steps. You can do so, but you must respond within 20 days, so you need to work quickly through this process.
Are there any exceptions?
There are rare cases in which a person may have more than 20 days to respond. A primary example is if that person is a member of the armed forces.
Under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, a person who is occupied by military duty can request a stay of 90 days when facing any civil lawsuits. This includes a divorce case.
After all, it may not be practical for that person to receive the divorce petition or respond to it in a timely manner. It would not be fair to them if their spouse could file for a divorce while they were deployed, for example, causing them to miss the deadline and be cut out of the legal process. The 90-day stay allows them to return to the U.S. and participate in the division of marital property, child custody rights and more.
But these exceptions are rare, so most people need to remember that they only have 20 days to respond.
Moving forward with your divorce
Once you have responded to the divorce petition, the court will set up hearings, ask for financial disclosures and take other steps. It is critical to understand your legal rights as you move forward with this process.