{"id":1674,"date":"2013-05-16T20:59:45","date_gmt":"2013-05-17T03:59:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/scoresbyfamilylaw.com\/blog\/?p=1674"},"modified":"2019-11-23T22:26:37","modified_gmt":"2019-11-24T05:26:37","slug":"michigan-case-decided-on-gender-reassignment-during-marriage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scoresbyfamilylaw.com\/blog\/2013\/05\/16\/michigan-case-decided-on-gender-reassignment-during-marriage\/","title":{"rendered":"Michigan Case Decided on Gender Reassignment During Marriage"},"content":{"rendered":"

I have posted previously about whether, under Arizona’s marriage amendment, one spouse’s gender reassignment surgery during marriage would make the marriage invalid and unrecognized in Arizona. \u00a0The answer is still unclear, but at least one other state has now weighed in on this issue.<\/p>\n

The Michigan Court of Appeals addressed this issue in a case decided April 16, 2013. \u00a0The case was a divorce action between Devon Pearl Burnett and Bobbie Eliza Burnett, who were married in 1984. \u00a0In 2003, Bobbie Burnett, who was born a man, underwent gender reassignment surgery to become a woman. \u00a0Later, Devon filed for divorce. \u00a0After Devon initiated her divorce case, Bobbie filed a motion for summary judgment, arguing that the trial court did not have jurisdiction to grant a divorce. \u00a0Bobbie argued that because Michigan law only recognized marriage as the union between one man and one woman, Bobbie’s marriage to Devon became null and void once Bobbie completed her gender reassignment surgery. \u00a0The trial court disagreed with Bobbie and granted a divorce. \u00a0Bobbie appealed.<\/p>\n

The Michigan Court of Appeals affirmed. \u00a0Noting that the marriage was valid as between a man and a woman at the time it was entered<\/em>, the Michigan Court stated as follows: \u00a0“We likewise reject

[Bobbie’s] argument that his alleged post-operative status somehow magically dissolved what was otherwise a valid marriage. . . . Once validly entered into, one spouse’s actions cannot unilaterally result in the legal dissolution of the marriage without court involvement.” \u00a0To read the case, click on this link:<\/p>\n

http:\/\/publicdocs.courts.mi.gov:81\/OPINIONS\/FINAL\/COA\/20130416_C309640_40_309640.OPN.PDF<\/a><\/p>\n

This Michigan case has no binding effect in Arizona, but it would probably be persuasive if the same issue arose in an Arizona case. \u00a0 The reasoning is sound. \u00a0If the marriage was valid when it was entered, it would be unfair for one spouse’s unilateral actions to nullify the marriage. \u00a0If one spouse’s gender reassignment surgery during marriage were allowed to effectively nullify the marriage, the other spouse would likely lose the benefits and protections of community property law. \u00a0No marriage–no community property.<\/p>\n

There is a key difference, however, between Michigan’s marriage amendment and Arizona’s, which could potentially lead to a different result were a case with the same facts to come before an Arizona court. \u00a0The Michigan marriage amendment states that “a marriage\u00a0contracted<\/em> between individuals of the same sex is invalid in this state.” \u00a0Emphasis added.<\/em>\u00a0 The word “contracted” was significant in the Michigan Court of Appeals’ decision. \u00a0Said the Michigan Court, “although [Bobbie] underwent gender reassignment surgery in 2003, that does not impact the undisputed fact that\u00a0when the marriage contract was entered into<\/em>, [Devon] was a woman and [Bobbie] was a man.” \u00a0Emphasis added.<\/em> \u00a0The Michigan Court essentially found that, because Michigan marriage amendment referred to marriages contracted<\/em> between persons of the same gender, the marriage amendment\u00a0only invalidated marriages between persons who were of the same gender at the time they married each other<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The Arizona marriage amendment, however, does not make any reference to the spouses’ genders as of the date of the marriage. \u00a0Rather, it simply states as follows: \u00a0“Only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a\u00a0marriage in this state.” \u00a0Arizona Constitution, Article XXX.\u00a0<\/em> Accordingly, it is plausible an Arizona court could find that, even when a marriage is validly contracted between one man and one woman, once one spouse undergoes gender reassignment surgery such that the marriage is no longer the “union of one man and one woman”, the marriage is no longer valid or recognized in Arizona. \u00a0While to me personally such a result \u00a0would seem unfair and extreme, I think it is plausible, especially here in Arizona.<\/p>\n

Copyright \u00a9 2013 by Scoresby Family Law \u2013 J. Kyle Scoresby, P.C. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em>

<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I have posted previously about whether, under Arizona’s marriage amendment, one spouse’s gender reassignment surgery […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[114],"tags":[22,24,35,43,51],"class_list":["post-1674","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news-stuff","tag-appeals","tag-arizona-constitution","tag-community-property","tag-divorce","tag-gender-reassignment"],"yoast_head":"\nMichigan Case Decided on Gender Reassignment During Marriage - Arizona Divorce & Family Law Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/scoresbyfamilylaw.com\/blog\/2013\/05\/16\/michigan-case-decided-on-gender-reassignment-during-marriage\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Michigan Case Decided on Gender Reassignment During Marriage - 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