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

One Sperm Donor, 550 Children: Why Australia Needs Urgent Regulation

Private sperm donation is often marketed as simple, accessible and modern. In reality, it can create legal, ethical and deeply human problems on a staggering scale. Two recent overseas stories show exactly what can happen when sperm donation is left largely unchecked. In one case, a mother believed her child was the only child conceived… Read More »One Sperm Donor, 550 Children: Why Australia Needs Urgent Regulation

Ireland Surrogacy Update: New Laws, New Restrictions, New Hope

Ireland has finally taken a major step into the modern world of family creation. With the passage of the Health Assisted Human Reproduction Act 2024, Irish citizens now have something that was missing for far too long: a legal pathway to surrogacy at home. That is no small thing. For intended parents in Ireland, this… Read More »Ireland Surrogacy Update: New Laws, New Restrictions, New Hope

Hugh Jackman Won’t Sign a Pre-Nup — Here’s Why That Matters

Hugh Jackman’s reported decision not to sign a pre-nuptial agreement with Sutton Foster has generated plenty of media attention, and for good reason. When a person has substantial wealth, children from an earlier relationship, and is entering a new relationship later in life, the question of asset protection becomes more than celebrity gossip. It becomes… Read More »Hugh Jackman Won’t Sign a Pre-Nup — Here’s Why That Matters

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