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You were served divorce papers

You were served divorce papers. That can feel confusing or stressful.

This page explains what the papers are, what your spouse is asking for, and what rules apply right now.

You’ll learn what this means before deciding what to do next.

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What the Petition and Summons are (form FL-100 and form FL-110)

You were served 2 court forms:

These forms mean your spouse or partner started a court case to:

⚠️ You’re not divorced yet.

These papers start the case. They don’t end your marriage on their own.

In the Petition, your spouse chose one option:

Divorce (dissolution)

They want to legally end the marriage or partnership. When the case ends, you’ll be single.
Learn more about divorce
Legal separation

They don’t want to end the marriage right now, but want money and property handled separately.
Learn more about legal separation
Annulment

They want the court to say the marriage or partnership was never legally valid.
Learn more about annulment

Each option has different legal effects.

On pages 2–3 of the Petition, your spouse checked boxes showing what they want the court to decide.

This can include:

You’ll have a chance to tell the court what you want if you respond.

Once you’re served, both you and your spouse must follow certain rules.

These are called Standard Family Law Restraining Orders.

You can’t:

Hide, sell, or give away money or property
Change insurance or retirement beneficiaries
Take your children out of California or apply for new passports without permission

Read page 2 of the Summons (form FL-110) to see the full list of rules.

📌 These rules apply to both of you, not just you.

You can get free legal information from your court’s self-help center.

They can help you understand the papers and what to do next.

If your case involves a lot of property, debt, or conflict, you may want to talk to a lawyer. ↗️