New York Court: Woman Can Use Facebook To Serve Divorce Papers

facebook_blackbg_logoIn a landmark ruling that could have big ramifications for future romantic breakups, a Manhattan Supreme Court Justice has ruled that a woman can serve her hard-to-find husband divorce papers via private Facebook message.

The woman, a nurse named Ellanora Baidoo, married her husband in a civil ceremony in 2009. However, according to Baidoo’s lawyer, Andrew Spinnell, the man reneged on a promise to also have a traditional Ghanaian wedding. However, the man had no fixed address or place of employment, and he refused to make himself available to be served.

“We tried everything, including hiring a private detective — and nothing,” Spinnell said.

These factors ultimately combined and lead to a judge giving Baidoo the go-ahead to serve divorce papers on Facebook “once a week for three consecutive weeks or until acknowledged.”

As Gizmodo noted, this seems to be the first time that the actual breakup of a marriage has been facilitated on Facebook, though it almost certainly won’t be the last. As the social media site becomes more and more entwined in the lives of over a billion people worldwide, you can bet it’ll become a bigger part of every aspect of their lives – including the extremely personal ones.