Judgment Entry for Legal Separation with Children Form Assistant
This interview will help you fill out the forms to complete a judgment entry for legal separation with children in the Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Court.
Learn more about filing for legal separation in Cuyahoga County.
You will need to:
- Start with Step 1 do not skip ahead. The Steps must be completed in order.
- Enter your information completely and correctly.
- Pace yourself and take breaks. All the information you fill out will be saved. You can click "Save & Exit" and return to complete your form.
- If you have any questions for Help Center Staff, please type them in the comment box and make sure to click on "Save Comment." Remember, the Help Center cannot provide legal advice, but they can answer basic questions about Court procedures and process. Help Center Staff will not review your questions or comments until you click "Submit for Review."
- After you have completed all of the Steps, please click "Submit for Review." Your judgment entry will be reviewed for completion by the Court's Help Center.
Some judgment entries that include unusual circumstances cannot be completed using this website. This includes:
- Legal separations that have been converted from a dissolution that include a separation agreement.
- Legal separations that include a separation agreement or other negotiated in-court agreement.
- Legal separations with more than 8 minor children of the marriage.
- Legal separations where a QDRO or DOPO has already been prepared before the final hearing.
- Legal separations with "split parenting," which means that you and your spouse are making different custody orders for different children. For example, if Mom has primary custody of one child and Dad has primary custody of the other.
For these cases, please contact the Help Center at least two weeks before your final hearing at (216) 443-8880 to prepare your proposed judgment entry.
Once you have completed each form step and selected "Submit for Review," your proposed judgment entry will be sent to the Help Center for review. Here's what to do next:
Look for communications from the Help Center
If the Help Center staff person reviewing your judgment entry has questions about your proposed entry, or if you need to provide more information on your form, they will contact you either by phone or through this website.
They have the option to leave comments on your form and "reassign" the form to you for edits. If this happens, you will receive a notification via your preferred method (email or text). The notification will prompt you to return to your form. Look for a red dot over the "Comment" icon to find your message from the Help Center. Make any changes and respond to the question, save the form step, and hit "Submit for Review." Complete any updates promptly to make sure that your judgment entry is completed in time for your final hearing.
If you have any questions you can contact the Help Center at (216) 443-8880.
Final legal separation hearing
When your judgment entry has been reviewed and found complete by the Help Center, your form will say "Sent for Approval." This means that they have sent your proposed judgment entry to the Judge or Magistrate holding your final hearing for their review and approval.
Review your hearing notice to find out what you need to bring with you to the hearing. If your hearing is uncontested, this may include a witness that can support your grounds for legal separation, as well as documentation showing proof of income.
Dress professionally for the hearing. Don’t wear shorts, t-shirts, tank tops, halter tops or other clothing that could seem unprofessional.
If you and your spouse have agreed on all the issues, the Judge will read your written agreement and confirm it is acceptable under Ohio law. The Judge will then approve it and sign it.
If you and your spouse have not agreed, the Judge may say that they need time to review all the evidence and make a decision based on Ohio law. The Judge will end the hearing and issue a written decision later. The Judge is responsible for making sure there is a fair agreement for all the issues involved in ending the marriage, including child custody, support, property, debts and more.
After the hearing
Your divorce is not finalized until the Judge has signed the “Judgment Entry of Legal Separation” and it is filed with the Court. This is usually filed automatically after the Judge approves the divorce.
After the Judge signs the judgment entry, your form will say "Closed." You can view a copy of the final judgment entry online at the Clerk's website.
You can get a certified copy of the judgment entry for a small fee from the Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Clerk of Court. Contact the Certified Copies Department by phone at (216) 443-7977 or by email at [email protected].