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In Re Marriage of Guo and Sun (Cal. Ct. App. - July 28, 2010)

By Shaun Martin

It's sweet that the two of you went to Las Vegas on Valentine's Day, 2001, and got married. It's an impulse, I know, but one from the heart.

The next day, the husband filed a petition to dissolve his marriage. To his first wife.

Problem. You might have wanted to do those in reverse order.

So there's no marriage, and when, for financial reasons, the husband wants to be declared a "putative" spouse, no dice. He knew he was married when he got married the second time. That's just straight up deliberate bigamy, not a basis for declaring someone a putative spouse.

So, if you're already married, remember: Divorce, then marriage. Not the other way around.

Full post as published by California Appellate Report on July 29, 2010 (boomark / email).