Divorce and Residency

When Jeffrey and Andrea Barth were married in 1989, they likely never imagined that their marriage – or, more accurately, the end of their marriage – would one day become the focus of a case before the Ohio Supreme Court.

Beginning in 1994 the couple and their children made Ohio their home. Then, in February 2004, Jeffrey began a new job in California. He moved west alone; Andrea and the kids would follow later.

Andrea and Jeffrey had gone to California in January to look for a home, to visit churches, and to familiarize themselves with various communities. In April, Andrea and the children visited Jeffrey to continue the search. Finally, in June, the Barths sold their Westlake, Ohio home and shipped the accumulated belongings of their life to California.

When Andrea and the children arrived in California in July, they moved into the house that Jeffrey had rented. Andrea immediately began dealing with the details that accompany a big move: she arranged to have utilities connected, including the cable and telephone services; she changed addresses on credit cards, subscribed to a local newspaper, sent out change-of-address announcements, and applied for library cards. She even enrolled the children in swimming lessons and a sport camp, and scheduled a medical appointment for her daughter.

In the meantime, Jeffrey had been busy in his own way. In August, just a month after the family had moved in, Jeffrey told Andrea about an intimate relationship he'd been having with another woman. In fact, while he was at it, he told her about other previous extramarital affairs.

Within two days of Jeffrey's confession Andrea returned to Ohio with the children. Wasting no time, she filed for divorce on August 24. The next day, Jeffrey did the same thing in California.

To read more on the Barth v. Barth case please visit www.sconet.state.oh.us