A man in Texas is facing charges of bigamy after he apparently married two different women. One of the women, to whom he has been married for 34 years but from whom he has been separated for the last eight years, says that he never got a divorce from her before he married another woman.
The man lives in Texas, where he works, but his first wife lives in Washington. The second woman is also from Texas, and she apparently caught wind of what had happened and called the first wife. They disagreed on the phone, arguing over who was really the man’s wife, and it now appears that they both are.
However, the man claims that he thought he was not married when he married the second woman, saying that he thought his separation from her meant that they were divorced. He claims that he is not a bigamist. Under Texas law, claiming that you reasonably believed that you were already divorced can be enough to get these charges dropped. He says that he did not know that he had done anything wrong, stating that his first wife is just looking to get some of his money, even though they have not lived together for almost a decade. The issue is with property division and his retirement payments; he believes that she is attempting to get some of his retirement money despite the estrangement.
Divorce cases can be complicated, especially when it comes to splitting money and assets. It is crucial for those who are getting divorced to know exactly what they are entitled to, based on their rights in Texas. They also need to make sure that the judge in the case gives a fair ruling and offers what they know they deserve, regardless of estrangement or other complications.
Source: The Houston Chronicle, “Fort Bend Co. man charged with bigamy” Heather Alexander, Mar. 12, 2014
