If I got married to my spouse while he was still legally married to someone else, was our marriage legit?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
If I got married to my spouse while he was still legally married to someone else, was our marriage legit?
I am trying to get a divorce from him and need to know if we are even legally married in Louisiana. He was going through a divorce at the time we got married but it was not finalized till about 4 months after we got married.
Asked on December 27, 2011 under Family Law, Louisiana
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
The short answer is, you cannot marry person 2 while still married to person 1, so if your spouse were still married at the time of your wedding, your marriage would not be legal.
The long answer is, you probably need an attorney's help to make sure this situation is untangled: you are on file with the county/state as having gotten married; you status has been indicated as married on (presumably) tax returns and property purchases; etc. Even if the marriage was not legally proper, because of all the paperwork and records, you need to make sure that you are properly now recorded as "not married" in all the right places--and you also may need to deal with other consequences, such as amending tax returns or adjusting property ownership.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.