Is my husband a bigamist if his first wife was a bigamist and he never got that “marriage” legally dissolved?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
Is my husband a bigamist if his first wife was a bigamist and he never got that “marriage” legally dissolved?
My husband was married to a bigamist. He was the second one to marry her. A few years later he left her. We met and got married. I was told his first marriage was not legal and he didn’t have to do anything about his first marriage, my husband never filed for an annulment or divorce. Now I am questioning all of this. Is my marriage legal or not? And is my husband now considered a bigamist?
Asked on January 12, 2012 under Family Law, Illinois
Answers:
M.T.G., Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
This is certainly a strange problem. Now, if I understand things correctly, your husband's first marriage was void, meaning that is was not valid fro the start. So no, he was not legally married when he married you so he is not a bigamist and yes, your marriage is legal. But it always advisable to have a court issue an order regarding a void marriage just so that certain other issues are not caught up in the confusion, like inheritance. So I would have him do something about it now. Better late than never. Good luck.
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.