Divorce

[Stalker30]

My question involves a marriage in the state of:Georgia

On September 11, 2019 I went before a judge, had a hearing that was referred to as a "Divorce Final". I assume that this means it was the end. The Judge asked both attorneys to submit proposed final orders by 9/20. This was done. Today it has been 61 days since both proposals have been submitted and there is no "Final Decree".

Is this normal? My Attorney will not tell me one way or another.

Is there a time limit that the Judge should abide by?


Thank you

[flyingron]

I assume that the two proposed final orders weren't the same (i.e., the two of you agreed on it). It could take six months for the decision. Your lawyer would be the best person to ask.

[pg1067]

Is this normal?

Only an attorney who practices family law in ____ County, Georgia can provide you reliable information about what is and isn't normal in that county.

My Attorney will not tell me one way or another.

What does this mean? Did you call your attorney and ask, "is this normal?" and your attorney said, "I'm not going to tell you"?

[llworking]

I assume that the two proposed final orders weren't the same (i.e., the two of you agreed on it). It could take six months for the decision. Your lawyer would be the best person to ask.

I agree, since apparently the judge allowed both attorneys to submit separate proposed orders, and each attorney would submit proposed orders that favor their client, it could take quite a while for the judge to review the testimony and decide to sign one of the proposed orders, or instruct one of the attorneys to rewrite the proposed order based on the judge's instructions or for the judge to write his own order.

[Stalker30]

Only an attorney who practices family law in ____ County, Georgia can provide you reliable information about what is and isn't normal in that county.




What does this mean? Did you call your attorney and ask, "is this normal?" and your attorney said, "I'm not going to tell you"?

Attorney Just shrugged his shoulders.

I would think that there would be some kind of court rule that outlined regards to how long judges had to finalize the orders.



As for how the orders were different, one said Shared Custody, 50/50, and split property 60% to her 40% to me... Hers said, She keeps everything and no parenting time.....

[flyingron]

Six months is the standard, but it could happen faster. If you had been in agreement, it could have been done in 30 days.

[llworking]

Attorney Just shrugged his shoulders.

I would think that there would be some kind of court rule that outlined regards to how long judges had to finalize the orders.



As for how the orders were different, one said Shared Custody, 50/50, and split property 60% to her 40% to me... Hers said, She keeps everything and no parenting time.....

Well, that would tend to indicate a longer length of time for a judge to make a decision rather than a shorter length of time. With such disparate proposed orders there should have been tons of testimony for the judge to review in making a decision. Plus there is apparently a big difference in proposed property settlements, which usually is not a significant issue.

[pg1067]

Attorney Just shrugged his shoulders.

I wouldn't interpret that to mean that he "will not tell" you. Sounds more like he doesn't know. That said, if I were you, I'd follow up and ask again (and keep asking until you get an answer that makes sense).

I would think that there would be some kind of court rule that outlined regards to how long judges had to finalize the orders.

The state constitution in my state says that a judge who has matters that haven't been ruled on for more than 90 days doesn't get paid. I don't know how enforceable that is as a practical matter, but judges do typically get their rulings out within that time period. Of course my state is not Georgia, and I think my state is very much in the minority in this regard. I once had a federal court judge sit on a ruling for two and a half years. During that time, about three dozen parties (mostly banks and insurance companies) conducted millions of dollars of discovery, including depositions throughout the U.S. (and even a few outside the U.S.). The judge's eventual ruling rendered all of that time and expense a waste of time and money.

At the end of the day, no one here has much of a chance of helping you truly figure this out (and I disagree that there is any sort of "standard" amount of time for something like this), so you should follow up with your attorney.