In Will County or anywhere in llinois, if you decide to ignore divorce papers and not show up in court, the case will proceed without you. Under Illinois law, if the spouse filing for divorce can prove that there are “grounds” for a divorce, the divorce will proceed. You will not go to jail or be fined for not responding to divorce papers and not showing up in court. What will happen is that a default judgment will be entered and your spouse will get what they asked for. A default judgment is a ruling granted by a court and results in a final judgment in favor of the complying party. Once a decision is made, the final judgment will be sent to you in the mail. If you don’t like the judgment and you have ignored the divorce papers and did not show up in court, it will become extremely difficult and very expensive to vacate the judgment.
If you have been served divorce papers in Illinois and are unsure of the next steps to take or if you are going through a divorce in Illinois and need legal representation or advice, contact Hamilton & Antonsen at 815.729.9220 to set up a free consultation with an experienced Will County attorney.