When I filed for divorce, my then-husband signed papers that released him from having to appear in court. I appeared before the judge by myself and she finalized the divorce.
It turns out that I can divorce my husband that way, but to separate our AT&T cell phone accounts, we both have to be present in the AT&T store. Hahahahahaha!
It's completely stupid that the account holder can't unilaterally have someone else removed from the account. I'm lucky that my ex-husband is willing to do this, but he COULD just ride and let me pay all his bills. It's goddamned infuriating.
The American divorce system is flawed. I have tried for 5 years to get my former husband removed from my utilities. I finally had to shut down all my utilities and phones and start over. It is impossible to get someone off an account unless they "agree" and why would he agree when I am paying all the bills?