Still ‘married’ after divorce

Annette Jordan’s divorce was finalized by a High Court judge in 2007, but technically she is still married because up to this day the Registration Department has not provided her with the decree absolute certificate. (Picture by Maria Bradshaw.)

By Maria Bradshaw | Fri, January 20, 2012 - 10:52 AM

When Annette Jordan was told by a High Court judge that her divorce had been granted, she thought she could finally start a new chapter of her life as a free woman.

But five years later, Jordan is still awaiting the certificate from the Registration Department granting her the decree absolute.

The upset woman said she had been “turned around” by the department since 2007 when she went there to collect her certificate after the judge informed her that her divorce was final.

“They kept telling me to come back the next week and the next month because they could not locate my file even though my case number was in their computer system.

“Then eventually they told me that they could not find the original file so they would have to make up a duplicate. Then when I would go back they couldn’t find that file either. They told me it was missing. On March 10, 2010, the file was in the system, [but] since then no one has seen it.”

Feeling uneasy about the situation, Jordan said she had a meeting with a senior official at the department, who was acting at the time.

“I met with her and she told me that she would ensure that the matter was dealt with and my certificate prepared. I kept calling her after that and I never heard from her again. Now I understand that she is no longer there.”

“This is five years that I have been going there and calling them and I can’t get my certificate. It is very frustrating. I know three people who got their divorces granted after me and they all have their certificates.”

Jordan recalled that last year she came across the judge who had granted the divorce and complained to him about the situation.

“He told me that he was aware of it and that the Registration Department had requested his file and that I should get my certificate soon.”

Even after that she is still waiting.

She said an officer at the department finally told her late last year that she would have to collect the files from her attorney and bring them in.

But Jordan said she no longer has that attorney and she has tried to contact him for the files but to no avail.

“My new attorney has also been trying to get the files from him but he has not been successful.”

In any case, Jordan said she did not believe that she should be the one trying to get the file, since it was misplaced by the Registration Department.

“After all this time and how they turned me around, they should be the ones doing everything possible to get me my certificate. I should not be running around trying to get a file,” she cried.

She said this situation had affected her to the extent that she felt as if her life was at a standstill.

“I can’t do anything at all because without that certificate I am still married. There are certain changes that I want to make and I can’t do them because I have nothing to show that I am divorced. If anything happens to me, my ex-husband can make a claim because technically I am still married.”

Her new attorney, Allan Carter, who is representing her on another matter, said he was informed by the Registration Department that her original file was lost and a new file would have to be reconstructed.

“I have been over there with her several times trying to sort this out. We have been informed that we would have to get copies of the file from the attorney who represented her in the divorce,” he stated.

When I contacted the office of Registrar Marva Clarke, I was informed by her secretary that the matter would be investigated.

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Posted by Andy Lovell 4 months ago: Lady you should try to contact the person who have the seat from your parish. They come around voting time, remind them, you need some representation.

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Posted by Doreen Stoute 4 months ago: Such absolute nonsense! Why is the onus on this woman to provide the Registration Department with documentation of her divorce? DO YOUR JOB! To me this seems like a very simple fix, but I guess with inept people involved it becomes complicated. For the past five years this woman’s life has been in limbo. When will it end? When will these people stop passing the buck and allow this woman to go on with her life?

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Posted by Marva Chase 4 months ago

It seems to me that these sorts of things happen ONLY IN BARBADOS! This is both careless and negligent on the part of the Registration Department. Someone, (or maybe the entire department) doesn’t know what they’re doing.
Ms Jordan should not be the one having to do the ‘running around’ collecting files from here and there, it should be the duty of the Registrar and/or Registration Department to locate this woman’s divorce lawyer and obtain the necessary papers to have the certificate issued. I don’t believe that the people who work in these government departments are ‘honestly’ earning their pay-cheques.

Last week the Ministry of Education was in the spotlight, (and I feel they were the ones to blame for not addressing the letters of complaint they had received from Mr. Jeff Broomes) causing that problem to escalate and get out of hand; now this week the
Registration Department is in the spotlight.
These government officials/employees are behaving
worse than children, and not to mention, more
IRRESPONSIBLE also! Seems to me that the government with its many departments can’t be held ACCOUNTABLE for ANYTHING!!!

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Posted by J. Payne 4 months ago: What is wrong with down there? I also complained to the past acting Chief Justice about getting the run around down there too… Didn’t do any good. *stupse* I gave up with dealing with Whitepark Rd…. Unfortunately, it looks like things still haven’t changed two years later inside that big white building (new façade with all the same old problems inside.) The island is terribly backwards.
A certain male told me come back to collect my documents, I was assured they would be ready by a certain date, I went in a day later than I was told. No documents, I was told come again. Again no documents. A third time I came in again and if you guessed no documents you would be spot on. My recommendation. Try and avoid the Barbados justice system if you can… It is not swift and will annoy you if you’re someone that likes things accomplished by certain time-frames.