Weird & Odd Divorces

Divorce + Dancing + 1912 = NYT

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by Marie Fahnert

DancingCouple_opt In January 2, 1912, Viola Hudson – a Chicago native in Reno for a divorce – made the New York Times headlines for dancing the “bird trot” and “turkey trot” with an unrelated man.

It seems kind of extreme to make the New York Times for dancing. On the other hand, if the dancing was as racy as the cha-cha in this video, maybe it’s not so shocking Ms. Hudson made the news.

Happy Holidays!!!

Virginity an essential of marriage?

by Marie Fahnert

Bride_Dress_Back_opt Family Lore  recently posted on a French court annulling a marriage between because the wife was not a virgin.

Could this happen in Chicago?

I am not sure. For any contract (marriage, real estate…etc) to be valid both parties need to know what they are agreeing to. If there is an essential part of the contract that one party keeps from the other then the contract is voidable.

So, if you lie about something essential to the marriage that had your spouse known about they would not have married you, you could face an annulment (the voiding of a marriage). The question is: Does “essential to the marriage” take into consideration cultural factors (such as religion) or does it use the “average person” standard?

The Illinois Statute does not clarify what kind of standard should be used when determining fraud in a marriage. I doubt that there is established case law on the matter. Thus, this is just one of the many gray areas of family law where “I don’t know, we’ll have to see what the judge rules” is the best answer.

For the record: I think voiding a marriage due to absence of virginity is disgusting. Alas, the law does not take “disgusting” into consideration. 

For more information on the meaning of marriage please see What is a Marriage?

If you think you have it bad…

by Marie Fahnert

…you might want to compare yourself to this poor Saudi Arabian husband whose wife is asking for a divorce because he tried to peek at her face after 30 years of marriage:

One night last month… the husband was finally overcome by curiosity and tried to lift his wife’s veil as she slept to take a look at her face.

The husband has thoroughly apologized but to no avail.