True story.
I was up at the courthouse as was normal back then. I walked around the clerks counter and noticed a young man with a short doe eyed girl clinging to his arm like she didn't believe that it needed blood circulation. She said, nothing.
The young man kept repeating, "What do you mean I'm not divorced? We're both remarried!"
Alaska has no fault divorce. Back then only one spouse had to show up in court. Neither he nor his wife/ex-wife/current wife/first wife showed up for court. They got a notice in the mail that their divorce filing was dismissed. PARTY TIME! Dismissed=done=finished. They both moved on with their lives. They did not speak legalese. Denied means no divorce, granted means you're marriage is over. Dismissed mean no action taken and the case is thrown out of court.
The clerk repeatedly asked, "Do you or your wife have any children?" "This is my wife!" After that they changed the law so both spouses must appear in court.