Opinion ID: 1172231
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Intent to delay the proceedings

Text: The record shows that Eldon filed his complaint for divorce on March 18, 1996. By that time, Deborah had already been in California for two months, gained temporary custody of her children, secured a temporary protective order, and filed for legal separation. The record shows that Deborah remained in the Fresno area and attempted to resolve her legal issues there because she believed that she could resolve the pertinent issues in California. She based this on the advice of several California attorneys and paralegals. The record shows that Deborah had no prior experience with legal affairs and may have been unaware that Nevada had jurisdiction over the custody dispute and the divorce. The record shows that Deborah did not attempt to avoid service of process or to totally disregard the Nevada proceedings. Moreover, exactly one month after the filing of the divorce complaint, the Nevada court entered its default judgment. Thus, Deborah was not afforded a lengthy time to reply. There is virtually no evidence that Deborah intended to delay the divorce proceedings. We conclude that the district court erred by finding that Deborah had an intent to delay the proceedings.