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Court Ruling Spikes Internet Ministers, Highlights Legal Issue

By Tresa Baldas
November 27, 2007

Family law attorneys are urging couples to steer clear of Internet-ordained ministers when seeking an officiate to perform their nuptials. Their warnings follow a recent Pennsylvania court decision in which a judge declared a marriage invalid because the couple had been married by an Internet-ordained minister. The court ruled that the officiate was unauthorized under state law to perform a wedding. Heyer v. Hollerbush, No. 2007 SU 2132 Y08 (York Co., Pa., Ct. C.P).

What It Might Mean

The ruling, divorce attorneys claim, sets a dangerous precedent in encouraging other unhappy partners to seek similar paths to avoid alimony and property division. In other words, a spouse who wants an easy out from a marriage and doesn't want to pay alimony or split property could simply argue that the wedding wasn't valid, so neither is the marriage.

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