Divorce Dilemma

[Jefren]

In 1983 we were married in FL, in 1985 she left. No contact since, no clue where she is, or her family for that matter. Never did anything about it.

In 1994 married another woman in TN (to shut her up about it, stupid reason) I know the 2nd woman was not divorced from 1st husband (separated 10 years or so). Neither of us were TN residents. Left her about 3 years ago. She's in FL.

Now I would like to clean all this up.

The first wife I have no information on at all. No ssn#, no family, nothing.

The second wife(?) I want NO contact with, would prefer that she did not know my whereabouts.

No children, no property, no joint anything either time, and I want nothing from either of them.

What kind of options do I have that I won't need a loan for?

Thank You for your time.

Jefren

 

[fredrikklaw]

Bigamy (v.) Bigamy

First of all, the not-so-good news is that as things stand, both you and your second wife (TN marriage) have committed bigamy (but there are circumstances that mitigate the act), and depending on whether or not she knew you were still legally married, you both have also committed double bigamy; Once for marrying each other while not divorced from your previous spouses, and then for entering matrimony with the full knowledge that you were both still (legally) married to others.

Bigamy in Florida is a 3rd degree felony which carries a sentence of (up to) 5 years in prison and bail is set at around the $1,000.00 mark. But there are mitigating circumstances and from the information you have given here, there are one or two that apply to both of you. So, the charge of Bigamy does not attach to a person:

1. Who reasonably believes that the prior spouse is dead.
2. Whose prior spouse has voluntarily deserted him or her and remained absent for the space of 3 years continuously, the party marrying again not knowing the other to be living within that time.
3. Whose bonds of matrimony have been dissolved.
4. Who violates its provisions because a domestic or foreign court has entered an invalid judgment purporting to terminate or annul the prior marriage and the defendant does not know that judgment to be invalid.
5. Who reasonably believes that he or she is legally eligible to remarry.

You have but one option and that is to obtain two divorce decrees from Florida Family Courts. You can start with the easy divorce of your second wife whose whereabouts you are aware of which makes service of process on her easy. To be on the safe side, set aside enough funds to make immediate bail should you get arrested which may or may not occur, depending on how candid you are going to be in the divorce petition and if your second wife decides to get nasty and squeal on you, which would be like spitting in the wind.

fredrikklaw