Respond to Petition (You’ve Been Served)

I was served with divorce papers, now what?

If you were served with divorce papers in Arizona, you have only 20 calendar days to respond to the divorce papers. The rules are a little different if you were served outside of Arizona. If you live outside of Arizona, but were served with an Arizona divorce- you have only 30 days to respond to the divorce papers.

If you do not respond to divorce papers, the petitioner (your soon-to-be-ex) can file a Motion for Default Judgment. This means the judge will award the petitioner whatever he or she asks for, within reason and the confines of the law, of course.

If you were served with a divorce petition in Arizona, and you want to hire someone to help you, remember that “time is of the essence.” If you do not respond to divorce papers, you will lose your right to participate in the divorce. The court has no patience for procrastination!

You can respond to divorce papers yourself (divorce with children / divorce without children), or you can hire someone to help you.

Our fee for a response to divorce papers starts at $499.

In addition to our fee, Maricopa County charges a $274 filing fee.

If you live outside of Maricopa County, we can still provide you service, however – you will need to file your own documents with the court.

For help on filing a response to divorce papers or to find out more information, go to our contact page or just call: (602) 283-3800.