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Wedding Destination Tips From Two Gurus
Today Norm Goldman, Editor of Sketchandtravel.com & Bookpleasures.com is pleased to have as a guest, Denise and Alan Fields, authors of BRIDAL BARGAINS and the BRIDAL PASSPORT WEDDING PLANNER. Both are in bookstores nationwide or you can order...
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It Pays For Single Christians To Date Other Like-Minded People
Searching for the perfect mate can be one of life's greatest challenges. Afterall, forever is a long time. You want to make the right decision. Dating itself can be really trying. It can be hard to find the right people. What if they...
Marriage dreams when fails !!!
Marriage and Attraction: Relation is successful as long as there is attraction between the partners. Attraction of actions, attentiveness, beauty, behaviour, caring nature, sexual satisfaction and etc, contribute to prolong relation. Activities to...
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Keeping A Marriage Romantic
My belief is that most relationship problems should be given less attention ... how much do you want to stir up the bottom muck? A couple will be happier if they pay attention to good things instead of being concerned with problems. A romantic...
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The legal fiction of common-law marriage
During a radio-talk show appearance, a caller told me about his unfortunate brush with the legal fiction of common-law marriage. He had been living with a woman for several weeks when he came home one evening to find the woman, his TV and assorted other property missing. He called the police, who mistakenly informed him that the woman was his common-law wife and so they couldn’t help him.
What qualifies as a common-law marriage? Take your pick:
1. Leaving too many clothes at your girlfriend’s house?
2. Living together six months
3. Living together seven years?
Chances are you picked the third answer, but all three response are equally wrong. A common misconception is that the length of cohabitation creates common-law status. This is not true.
Three elements are necessary and none relate to a time-frame. A couple must
1. Live together
2. Agree between themselves to be marriage
3. Represent themselves as married (also called “holding-out.”)
The agreement in the second element does not have to be written; it can be implied by the behavior of the parties. Signing leases as husband and wife or filing joint income tax returns are examples of the proof
used to imply a common-law marriage.
In the example above, the police, as are most people, were woefully misinformed.
Alabama, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and D.C. recognize common-law marriages. Ohio repealed its recognition in 1992. Pennsylvania has just now abolished it. Other states may recognize an informal marriage if it was originally contracted within one of these states.
In the past, common-law marriage was often seen on the lower socio-economic rungs of the ladder. However, celebrities often make the news with claims by their live-ins of this status.
If you are concerned about your own status, contact an attorney in your state for more information.
About the Author
Johnette Duff is a Matrimonial Attorney licensed to practice in the state of Texas. Ms. Duff is the author of “The Spousal Equivalent Handbook”: a legal and financial guide to living together, “The Marriage Handbook”: a legal and financial guide to your spousal rights, and “Love After 50”: the complete legal and financial guide. She has helped thousands of individuals build successful relationships.
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