Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%

Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.

The Matrimonial StrategistFeaturesKickerLJN NewslettersNewsSections

When There Is No License, Is There a Marriage?

By Martin E. Friedlander
December 31, 2015

You know the drill: In an initial interview of a divorcing client, there is a list of routine, background-information questions to be asked. Of course, these include the question, “Have you ever been married before?” Subsequent follow-up questions would include the number of prior marriages and how they ended.

So, consider this situation: In the midst of a matrimonial proceeding, an undisclosed fact comes to light ' the client was previously religiously married and obtained a religious divorce, but never obtained a marriage license or civil divorce. The client assumed that the first marriage was not recognized by the state because the parties did not obtain a marriage license. Having obtained a religious divorce, she then assumed she could move on without restriction. (Editor's Note: For more on religious divorce, see Mark Momjian: “'Getting' It Done Through Social Media and Other Forms of Protest,” The Matrimonial Strategist, August 2015, available at http://bit.ly/1HA4tmg.)

This premium content is locked for Entertainment Law & Finance subscribers only

  • Stay current on the latest information, rulings, regulations, and trends
  • Includes practical, must-have information on copyrights, royalties, AI, and more
  • Tap into expert guidance from top entertainment lawyers and experts

For enterprise-wide or corporate acess, please contact Customer Service at [email protected] or 877-256-2473

Read These Next
Bankruptcy Sales: Finding a Diamond In the Rough Image

There is no efficient market for the sale of bankruptcy assets. Inefficient markets yield a transactional drag, potentially dampening the ability of debtors and trustees to maximize value for creditors. This article identifies ways in which investors may more easily discover bankruptcy asset sales.

Judge Rules Shaquille O'Neal Will Face Securities Lawsuit for Promotion, Sale of NFTs Image

A federal district court in Miami, FL, has ruled that former National Basketball Association star Shaquille O'Neal will have to face a lawsuit over his promotion of unregistered securities in the form of cryptocurrency tokens and that he was a "seller" of these unregistered securities.

Why So Many Great Lawyers Stink at Business Development and What Law Firms Are Doing About It Image

Why is it that those who are best skilled at advocating for others are ill-equipped at advocating for their own skills and what to do about it?

A Lawyer's System for Active Reading Image

Active reading comprises many daily tasks lawyers engage in, including highlighting, annotating, note taking, comparing and searching texts. It demands more than flipping or turning pages.

Blockchain Domains: New Developments for Brand Owners Image

Blockchain domain names offer decentralized alternatives to traditional DNS-based domain names, promising enhanced security, privacy and censorship resistance. However, these benefits come with significant challenges, particularly for brand owners seeking to protect their trademarks in these new digital spaces.