Abandoned, how do I seek a divorce?

[DaisySue]

I am a Canadian citizen and my husband was American. We married in Ontario in 2005. He was full time military and moved around a lot. I found out that he had deep mental health issues and he became very abusive to me and my children. He abandoned me in 2007, leaving me no way to contact him in the states. How do I proceed to get a divorce without him? What are my rights to the properties that we owned together in the states? Do I have a right to part of his social security in the states?

[blinkandimgone]

I don't know the answers to most of your questions, however you can file for an ex-parte divorce. I believe you must show proof that you tried to contact him but couldn't locate him

Hopefully someone can offer more help for you.

[rwm1273]

Have you tried to contact the Veterans Affairs office in the USA? They may be able to track him down for you.

[DaisySue]

Thank you both for replying. I have tried numerous times to contact him thru the military and couldnt. I am unsure if he is still in the military, as he had called me at one point and told me he was in jail and wanted me to send him money, which I did not do. So I really dont know much at all and dont know how to go about finding out information.

[dadtotheend]

How much equity is in the properties you own together in the US? How many are there?

Do you have any children with him?

If the laws down there are the same as here (and I don't even know what jurisdiction would preside over this issue) then you might be entitled to a little sharing of his social security, but it would be very small due to the length of the marriage. Search the Social Security Administration website.

[DaisySue]

there was 4 houses that we owned together. But with his mental health issues, he just kept buying and buying, and wanted me to sign for a place in Texas and I refused. So my guess is that he may have went bankrupt.

No we didnt have children together, but I helped to raise his daughter, as we had started dating in 2003 and she was young.

Good Idea about searching the social security website.

Thank you!

[representingself]

You can also check the land registry office where the properties are located to see if they are still in his name.

[DaisySue]

That is a great idea! Thank you, I will do that.

[dadtotheend]

With the housing crisis down there, they are probably worth jack now.

Did you put any money into them yourself?

Were any of them (a) matrimonial home(s)?

[mrsb]

Do you know his military service number? This is a crucial bit of info if you want the military to help you find him

[DaisySue]

Your right they may not be worth much now. I put in hours and hours and hours into renovating them, so I do feel that I should receive a portion of what they are worth. No they were not our matrimonial home.

[DaisySue]

Your probably right about them being worth much less now. I put in hours and hours and hours into renovating those homes, so I do feel that I should get a portion of what they are worth. But at this point, I just want to get it all over with and get the divorce. No these homes were investments and not our matrimonial home.

[DaisySue]

Unfortunately I dont know his military service number. I do have some of his old papers though, perhaps it is on some of those. What would I do with this number if I found it?

[mrsb]

If you can find it use it to call his last known unit and ask to speak to the orderly room. If you find out he is released ask to be forwardwd to their main records department. You should also try the VA office. If he had enough time in he might have a nice pension you might want to inquire about as well. The service number is basically their entire military idenity and if you can find it it opens up a lot more information.

[DaisySue]

well that is great information, thank you! I will see if I can find that number.