Questão jurídica principal
Whether proceedings in a divorce on joint petition may be struck out when one spouse does not pay the required share of the cost advance.
Decisão extraída
No. In joint divorce proceedings, the non-paying spouse must be given the opportunity to pay the missing advance so that the proceedings are not discontinued.
Fundamentação extraída
Because the spouses are not adverse parties but joint applicants, a strike-out order burdens both. The right to be heard requires that the affected spouse be informed of the adverse consequence and be allowed to avert it by payment.