Hargreaves v. Hargreaves

Quaere: May a nonresident plaintiff secure a divorce in the state of Washington, where the resident defendant appears and asks for a divorce on a cross-complaint?

Answer: No. Under our statute the courts of this state have no jurisdiction in a divorce action not commenced by a resident of the state. (An analysis of the statute and the cases appears in another portion of this opinion.)

Circumstances Which Raise the Question: The plaintiff, a nonresident of the state of Washington (apparently a resident of the Province of British Columbia where divorces are more difficult to come by), brought an…