Soap Opera Star and Smallville Husband to Divorce

Lindsay Hartley filed for divorce from husband Justin Hartley after nearly 8 years of marriage last week.

Looks like Lindsay and Justin Hartley’s marriage is coming to an end. Lindsay Hartley cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for their divorce when she filed paperwork at the Los Angeles County Superior Court last week.

The Hartleys married back in 2004 after meeting on the set of the short-lived (comparatively speaking, considering the shelf life of some soap operas) show Passions. They had a daughter in 2004, and Lindsay’s petition requests that the couple share joint and physical custody of 7-year-old Isabella. A TMZ report from May 6th said Justin had not yet responded, so there is no news on whether or not he agrees on the proposed custody split.

The law differs from state to state, but responding to a divorce petition is an act that must be done regardless of your geographic location. In this situation, a Westchester County divorce attorney would most likely advise Justin to respond to the divorce petition within the 30-day window of time available to him so discovery can begin. If Justin does not respond, the court will proceed with the divorce without his participation. Doing so may put him at a disadvantage when the time comes for custody decisions to be made as his wishes would not be known.

While Lindsay has gone on to make guest appearances on The Weakest Link, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and The Other Half since leaving Passions, her other reoccurring roles have both been on soaps. She played Arianna Hernandez on Days of Our Lives from 2009 to 2010, and Cara Castillo from All My Children from 2010 to 2011.

Justin’s career took a different path after his departure from Passions—he joined the cast of Smallville as the Green Arrow in 2006 and stayed with the show until its conclusion in 2011.