In 2015, Andrew Spinnell made new divorce law in New York in the Baidoo v. Dzraku case when the New York Supreme Court for the first time permitted Ms. Baidoo to serve divorce papers by Facebook on Mr. Dzraku, rather than by publication in a newspaper. Such service provides actual nature to the defendant of a pending divorce proceeding, whereas publication in a newspaper while legally permitted often gives no actual notice to the defendant.

Ms. Baidoo was separated from her husband Mr. Dzraku, who moved out of the marital residence to an address and city unknown to her and which he would not advise her. All she had was his Facebook name and account and his cellphone number. A search of his cell phone carrier did not reveal his address. So I made a motion to the Court for permission to serve the divorce Summons with Notice by Facebook. The motion was granted. And then the print and social media published the decision including the New York Daily News, which found Mr. Dzraku’s Facebook account including his picture and published it in the newspaper. Mr. Dzraku was living in Philadelphia, PA and saw the Daily News article about him.  He then called our office and after service of the divorce Summons on Facebook came into the office to sign an Affidavit consenting to an uncontested divorce.  Thus new divorce law came into effect that made Ms. Baidoo a happily divorced spouse.

A weatherman for a New York City TV station is facing serious charges relating to a domestic violence incident with his estranged wife. B.E., 52, and his 48-year-old wife, D.E., have been involved in ongoing contentious divorce proceedings. The two were married for nearly 19 years but the relationship apparently turned very sour. The two got into a heated argument over something concerning B.E.'s car keys. D.E. reported that B.E. punched her in the eye which caused her to fall down and suffer injuries to her hand and collar bone. B.E. states that she attacked him and caused bleeding and bruising. He contends that his estranged wife reached down the front of his underwear and scratched his scrotum causing it to bleed. She then beat him on the buttocks with a wooden hanger repeatedly until it broke. The hanger left several black and blue marks. The two kept fighting until their children stopped them, according to reports.

If you are being harmed in some way by your spouse, partner, or another family member, it is important to know that there is help available. Many victims in New York City are unsure if the treatment they are experiencing is truly domestic violence, and so they do not seek the assistance they need and deserve. Although there are different forms of domestic violence, the perpetrator in every case has the same goal – to gain control and power over the victim.

If you and your spouse are divorcing, consider using the method of mediation to end your marriage. During mediation, you and your spouse will meet with a trained mediator to negotiate a divorce settlement that is agreeable to both of you. Once the divorce mediation process is finished, the mediator will file the divorce paperwork and agreement with the court.