PENYELESAIAN CERAI GUGAT MELALUI PUTUSAN VERSTEK AKIBAT KETIDAKHADIRAN TERGUGAT (STUDI KASUS NOMOR REGISTER PERKARA 470/PDT.G/2025/PA.MLG)

Divorce through the mechanism of divorce by lawsuit is a form of domestic dispute resolution recognized in the national legal system, particularly in the religious court system. One procedural phenomenon that often occurs in practice is the absence of the defendant in court, which results in a default judgment being handed down by the panel of judges. This study aims to determine the stages of the divorce lawsuit settlement process through a default judgment due to the defendant's absence in Case Number 470/Pdt.G/2025/PA.Mlg. To achieve this objective, the author uses an empirical juridical research method. The process of settling this divorce case is unique when compared to the process of settling divorce cases in general. In general, the series of court hearings are conducted separately, such as a separate initial hearing, a separate hearing to summon the defendant, a separate evidentiary hearing, and a separate verdict hearing. However, in the process of settling this case, the entire trial agenda was combined into a single trial agenda, namely the initial hearing. This was due to the defendant's absence from the trial even though he had been duly and legally summoned and his whereabouts were unknown. The results of this study show that even though the case was decided in absentia, the panel of judges still applied the principle of prudence by requiring formal and material evidence of the lawsuit in accordance with applicable legal provisions.