def validate_email(self, email_address):

        '''
            a method to validate an email address
            
        :param email_address: string with email address to validate
        :return: dictionary with validation fields in response_details['json']
        '''

        title = '%s.validate_email' % __class__.__name__

    # validate inputs
        object_title = '%s(email_address="")' % title
        email_address = self.fields.validate(email_address, '.email_address', object_title)

    # construct request_kwargs
        request_kwargs = {
            'url': '%s/address/validate' % self.api_endpoint,
            'params': { 'address': email_address }
        }

    # send request
        response_details = self._get_request(**request_kwargs)

        return response_details