In 2021, Abu Dhabi introduced a landmark legal reform with the issuance of Law No. 14 of 2021, which introduced the concept of civil marriage in the UAE. This move signifies a progressive step towards embracing secular...more
Jian Tang and Robert Campbell met in May 2016 on Match.com., an online dating site. Things appear to have progressed nicely. They began to live together and in March 2017, Campbell came forth with a proposal of marriage. Not...more
We are increasingly seeing more disputes over the validity of marriages in probate litigation. A recurring fact pattern is that a romantic partner will attempt to orchestrate a marriage to the second partner, who is suffering...more
Whether two people are legally married is a decidedly important factor in estate planning and probate in South Carolina. For instance, spouses cannot unilaterally disinherit each other while non-spouses can; spouses are free...more
The South Carolina Supreme Court just ruled that the state will no longer recognize common-law marriages. This decision will have a direct impact on South Carolina workplace law, requiring many employers to adjust their...more
On July 24, 2019, South Carolina joined the ranks of Alabama, Pennsylvania, and others in abolishing future recognition of common law marriages in the state. The state will continue to recognize all common law marriages in...more
On Monday, October 1, the Trump administration stopped granting visas to non-married same-sex partners of foreign diplomats and officials and employees of the United Nations (“UN”). This policy change applies equally to...more
A recent, public clash between the highest legal authorities of the United States and one of its constituent states, Alabama, illustrates the promise and the problems of this country’s unique system of dual sovereigns, known...more
Timely Topics - The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued on Dec. 17, 2015, a memorandum instructing its examiners not to conduct employment tax audits of churches without getting in touch with a high-ranking Treasury...more
Recently, the news has been filled with employees who refuse to perform their duties based on political, moral, or religious beliefs. Kentucky clerk Kim Davis was jailed for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same sex...more
Respondeat superior (literally, "let the master answer" in Latin) is a doctrine that applies when an employer or principal has the ability and authority to direct and control the pertinent acts of the employee. Put otherwise,...more
Last June, the U.S. Supreme Court determined that same-sex marriages are a fundamental liberty protected by the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution – and that states must issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples....more
Almost every day the news carries an additional story about Kim Davis, the Rowan County, Kentucky clerk who has defied the Supreme Court by refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The Kim Davis story may be...more
On June 26, 2015, a few hours after the United States Supreme Court made its legendary decision to legalize same-sex marriage, many marriage clerk offices in Alabama, Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana and Kentucky,...more
In Obergefell v. Hodges, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the 14th Amendment to the Constitution requires all 50 states to license marriages between same-sex couples and to recognize same-sex marriages performed out-of-state....more
On Tuesday night, the Alabama Supreme Court ordered the state’s probate judges to stop issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Last month, a U.S. federal judge in Alabama ordered an Alabama official to issue marriage...more
Alabama probate judges have begun issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples following a recent ruling out of the Southern District of Alabama that struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriage. Employers should take...more
In October of 2013, the Illinois couple of Colette Purifoy and John Morris were denied a marriage license because of John’s inability to consent. In 2009, John suffered permanent brain damage after unexpected complications...more
A recent case, the Estate of Wilson, 2012 WL 6216869 (1st Dist. 2012), illustrates generally why escrow holders should avoid giving advice to parties to an escrow on how to take title to real property...more