Sounds like a script from Two and a Half Men…

Sounds like a script from Two and a Half Men…

It’s funny how many cases are now being published that it is almost impossible to keep up. I use this excuse because I have only just stumbled across a Family Court case published in May, which sounded like a script from Two and a Half Men.

Mr Tristan was married and in 1978 he was posted by work to Arizona where for about a month he had non-stop partying and drinking.

And then , many years later, after he had divorced his wife (they were separated in 78) and remarried, US government officials showed him another marriage certificate with his name on it – from Arizona in 1978, and yes he knew the woman. He had absolutely no recollection of that marriage or even of discussing marriage. The “wife” named on the certificate apparently had since remarried.

Why it interested US government officials was because they pointed out that when he married his current girlfriend that marriage was bigamous (and void) because of the Arizona “marriage”.

When the matter came before Justice Brown in the Family Court, her Honour had no hesitation in declaring the marriage a nullity because at the time of the Arizona “marriage” Mr Tristan was already married.

Request an Appointment
Fill in the form below to find out if you have a claim.
Request an Appointment - Stephen Page
Things to Read, Watch & Listen

A Landmark Win for LGBTQ+ Families in Australia!

A recent decision of the ACT Supreme Court confirmed that changes to the Parentage Act 2004 (ACT) enacted in 2024 can reach back to recognise certain surrogacy arrangements made before the law changed. The ruling allowed a gay couple to be declared the legal parents of a child born via a traditional surrogate who lived… Read More »A Landmark Win for LGBTQ+ Families in Australia!

What really happens inside the world’s largest ethical surrogacy conference?

When reproductive law meets lived experience, the conversation shifts from theory to practice. At the Society for Ethical Egg Donation and Surrogacy (SEEDS) conference in Orange County, California, nearly 400 professionals came together to do exactly that: talk candidly about how to make surrogacy and egg donation safer, fairer and ethically robust. The gathering offered… Read More »What really happens inside the world’s largest ethical surrogacy conference?

Another US Surrogacy Agency Has Collapsed – Are Your Dreams at Risk?

A recent collapse of a United States surrogacy agency has again exposed a harsh reality for intended parents: the path to building a family through surrogacy is vulnerable to fraud, mismanagement and sudden collapse. Hundreds of people are reported to be affected, with life savings wiped out, records shredded and law enforcement stepping in. This… Read More »Another US Surrogacy Agency Has Collapsed – Are Your Dreams at Risk?

Family Law Section Law Council of Australia Award
Member of Queensland law society
Family law Practitioners Association
International Academy of Family Lawyers - IAFL
Mediator Standards Board