Lawrence v. Lawrence

On February 19, 1968, plaintiff, Margaret Handy Lawrence, filed in the court below a bill of complaint against her husband, John Creig Lawrence, seeking a divorce on the grounds of desertion. The bill alleged that the parties last cohabited in the City of Norfolk, Virginia, on January 20, 1968, and asked that plaintiff be awarded custody of their 17-year-old daughter, alimony and support money, attorneys’ fees and court costs.

Being unable to obtain personal service on the defendant in the City of Norfolk, plaintiff filed an affidavit alleging, inter alia, that she and her husband were tenants…