If your spouse serves you with divorce papers in Ohio, they do have to wait for you to respond before they can move forward with the case. If you never respond, they can often seek a default divorce, meaning that the court issues a default judgment without your involvement. But your spouse cannot move to this option immediately. They do have to give you time to consider the paperwork, talk to your lawyer and file your answer.
Generally speaking, you will have 28 days to do this. One important thing to note is that the 28 days begin on the day on which you are served the papers. Your spouse may have initially filed the complaint and started the process earlier than that, but the timer does not start for you until you have been handed the paperwork and made aware of their intent to divorce.
What should you do at this time?
Some people do respond to the divorce papers right away. For instance, a couple may have been talking about divorce for months or even years before one person takes that initial step. Since both people know that the divorce is coming and want to end the marriage, they may respond in just a few days.
But in other cases, people take the time to really consider their options and prepare for the divorce case. Financial disclosures are necessary, for instance, so this is a good time to gather financial documentation, like tax returns and bank statements. For parents, it is a time for them to consider their legal and physical child custody rights and determine how they would like to split up custody once their marriage ends.
Once you do respond to the divorce papers, however, the court can begin setting up hearings and the rest of your case can move forward. At this time, it is very important to understand exactly what legal options you have.