Q: Am I legal married if the person that performed the ceremony was ordained online but did not register with the state?
A friend of ours performed the ceremony he got ordained online but just recently told me that he was not registered with the state at the time. He didn't register until 2 years later. I am trying to get a divorce and with this new information I was wondering if I could or should file for an annulment. We have been married for 2 almost 3 years but legally separated for almost a year. I also in the process of extending the protection order against him.
A: If you were legally separated by a court, which approved a separation agreement, then a court is already involved and assumed you were validly married, which you would have stated in the forms filed with the court. But if those facts were never disclosed to the court, then decide if being married or not works to your advantage and discuss it with your attorney. Does your "spouse" know about the friend not being registered? If a court decides you are not married, then there would not be a division of property or award of spousal support, and no need for an annulment. If you are not married and you have children, that is an additional complication. If you don't have an attorney, use the Find a Lawyer tab to retain a local family law attorney to review your situation and advise you.
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