Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Matthew Cooper has granted a Brooklyn woman approval to serve her husband divorce papers over Facebook.
Ellanora Baidoo, 26, “is granted permission [siq] serve defendant with the divorce summons using a private message through Facebook,” with her attorney messaging Victor Sena Blood-Dzraku, wrote Cooper, via New York Daily News.
He continued: “This transmittal shall be repeated by plaintiffs attorney to defendant once a week for three consecutive weeks or until acknowledged” by her husband whose whereabouts are unknown.
Baidoo and Blood-Dzraku were married during a civil ceremony in 2009, but their relationship fell apart after Blood-Dzraku walked back on his promise to also have a traditional Ghanaian wedding ceremony. Both parties are from Ghana.
“She wanted their families there,” said attorney Andrew Spinnel.
Because the wedding was never consummated, the couple never lived together.
The ruling says Blood-Dzraku has kept in touch with his wife only by phone and Facebook.
The “last address plaintiff has for defend is an apartment that he vacated in 2011,” said Cooper. The plaintiff has spoken with defendant by telephone on occasion and he has told her that he has no fixed address and no place of employment.
He has also refused to make himself available to be served with divorce papers.
Furthermore, the “post office has no forwarding address for him, there is no billing address linked to his prepaid cell phone, and the Department of Motor Vehicles has no record of him.”
Spinnel insists his legal team has gone to great lengths to track him down, including the hiring of a private detective, but nothing.
The first Facebook message went out to Blood-Dzraku last week. He has yet to respond.
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