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Was I ever married in North Carolina?

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M

Mcluvin

Member
I eloped in early 2020 in Asheville, NC. There was no marriage license. The person who performed the ceremony was an "ordained online minster." I believe it was by "United Life Church."

My understanding is that a wedding without a license is illegal. The state of North Carolina also doesn't recognize online wedding officiants as officiants. What I heard is that the state of North Carolina may still recognize a marriage without there being a license. I'm wondering if, because they don't see online officiants as ministers, does it mean that my marriage is not actually considered a marriage? I know in some cases, marriages by United Life Church officiants are still seen as legal, so I want to make sure that I'm not married before I date again.

Thank you everyone. I'm not able to afford legal help, so I really appreciate this. You're doing God's work.
 


Zigner

Zigner

Senior Member, Non-Attorney
Did you and your spouse* live together and hold yourself out to be married at any time? Did you live together at any time? If yes (to either oro both), what state did that occur in?
 
Zigner

Zigner

Senior Member, Non-Attorney
Neither Tennessee nor North Carolina recognize common-law marriages, so you are most likely not married. As this can be a major concern, I would suggest at least talking to a local family law attorney about this matter for personalized advice.
 
adjusterjack

adjusterjack

Senior Member
M

Mcluvin

Member
Zigner said:
Neither Tennessee nor North Carolina recognize common-law marriages, so you are most likely not married. As this can be a major concern, I would suggest at least talking to a local family law attorney about this matter for personalized advice.
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I'm really sorry! We were actually technically living in Mississippi, but we were right on the border of Tennessee. My mistake!
 
M

Mcluvin

Member
Ohiogal said:
Did you file income tax as married filing jointly? Or married filing separately? Or did you always file as single?
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The only thing we did jointly was rent an apartment. I believe we had separate taxes and I wasn't on his deed once he got a house.
 
M

Mcluvin

Member
I'm sorry, I have another question as well: could he contest and say that we actually did have a marriage, whether or not it would be ruled in his favor?

Other point to add: there was only one witness at the elopement.
 
Zigner

Zigner

Senior Member, Non-Attorney
Mcluvin said:
I'm sorry, I have another question as well: could he contest and say that we actually did have a marriage, whether or not it would be ruled in his favor?

Other point to add: there was only one witness at the elopement.
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Let's not do hypotheticals, k?
 
M

Mcluvin

Member
Zigner said:
Mississippi also does not recognize common-law marriages. With that said, I find it strange that you don't even know where you lived.
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You don't ever get your past address and current address confused? Or your old telephone number with your new one? Must be nice!
 
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