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Spouse’s testimony enough to assert Pa. common-law marriage, Md. appeals court rules
A man who says that he and his deceased partner privately exchanged vows to create a common-law marriage has adequately shown the marriage exists in order bring a wrongful death lawsuit, a court ruled.
Wife waited too long to accuse husband of bigamy, Md. court says
A woman who succeeded in having her divorce overturned after her ex-husband’s death has failed in her bid to have his final marriage posthumously annulled based on bigamy.
General Assembly passes bill to raise minimum marriage age to 17
The General Assembly on Monday passed legislation to raise the minimum age for marriage in Maryland from 15 to 17. The measure, headed to Gov. Larry Hogan’s desk, would require the 17-year-old to assure a judge that he or she is getting married voluntarily and not under duress. Sponsors of the bill said the judicial […]
House, Senate pass conflicting bills to raise minimum marriage age to 17
The House of Delegates and Senate have passed conflicting legislation to raise the minimum age for marriage in Maryland from 15 to 17.
Md. House preliminarily approves bill to raise minimum marriage age to 17
The House of Delegates on Tuesday gave preliminary approval to legislation that would raise the minimum age for marriage in Maryland from 15 to 17. The House could vote as early as this week to approve the matrimonial measure and create a conflict with the Senate, which passed a bill last month that would also […]
Md. Senate passes bill to raise minimum marriage age to 17
The Senate passed legislation Monday night to raise the minimum age for marriage in Maryland from 15 to 17.
Md. high court weighs if spousal privilege applies to ‘sham’ marriages
An accused killer’s jailhouse wedding created a “sham marriage” designed to prevent his newlywed wife from testifying against him at his upcoming murder trial, an attorney for Maryland said Monday in urging the state’s top court to reinstate obstruction of justice and witness tampering convictions against the groom. Assistant Maryland Attorney General Brenda Gruss told […]
Bill to exempt ‘sham’ marriages from spousal privilege advances
A bill to exempt marriages formed after a crime is committed from the spousal privilege — a general rule that one spouse cannot be compelled to testify against the other in a criminal proceeding — received a favorable report from a Maryland General Assembly committee Monday. Del. Robin Grammer, R-Baltimore County, proposed House Bill 64 to […]
Md. appeals court: Spousal privilege applies to ‘sham’ marriages
Marrying the prosecution’s star witness to prevent him or her from testifying against you does not constitute witness tampering or obstruction of justice, Maryland’s second-highest court has ruled in allowing an accused murderer to invoke spousal privilege at his upcoming trial. In its reported decision Tuesday, the Court of Special Appeals overturned Darrayl Wilson’s conviction […]
Md. court denies ‘unclean’ widow share of husband’s estate
A woman found to have manipulated a grieving, ailing and wealthy widower into marriage was rightfully denied a statutory share of his estate when he died, Maryland’s second-highest court ruled Wednesday. Emeline Wilson Watkins’ manipulation of Robert F. Watkins Jr. — as evidenced in small part by her daily withdrawals from his bank account as […]
Court affirms gun convictions of Riverdale man who interrupted wife
A divided federal appeals court this week provided a lesson in why husbands should never answer for their wives as it upheld a Riverdale man’s firearms convictions. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said a law enforcement officer did not violate Quintin Antonio Bell’s right to remain silent when he answered the officer’s question […]
Md. lawmakers still undecided on murder, med-mal, marriage bills
With the state’s most populous city facing a homicide epidemic, the fate of legislation aimed at preventing and stiffening penalties for repeat gun offenders will come down to the final hours of the 2018 Maryland General Assembly on Monday.
