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Ennisv.Ennis

CourtSupreme Court of Georgia
Docket No.S12A0277
DecidedApril 24, 2012
Reporter725 S.E.2d 311; 290 Ga. 890; 2012 Fulton County D. Rep. 1519; 2012 WL 1392598; 2012 Ga. LEXIS 355
JudgesSupreme Court of Georgia
Tags
CivilFamily LawCivil ProcedurePersonal JurisdictionDue ProcessStatutory InterpretationInterlocutory AppealReversal
Case Summary

Robert Ennis filed for divorce in Georgia seeking alimony, marital-property division, and attorney fees from his wife, who had lived in Virginia since 2003 and had only brief, nonmarital contacts with Georgia. The wife moved to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction. The Supreme Court of Georgia held that the Georgia court lacked personal jurisdiction over her under the state long-arm statute because she had not purposefully availed herself of Georgia, the claims did not arise from Georgia activities, and the marital events occurred in Virginia. The court therefore reversed the denial of dismissal as to alimony, property division, and attorney fees. It affirmed, however, that the trial court could exercise jurisdiction over the marital res and grant the divorce itself. Georgia law required only that the husband have lived in Georgia for at least six months, a requirement he met after returning in 2005. The judgment was affirmed in part and reversed in part, with all Justices concurring.

Opinion

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