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Ex-mayor facing bigamy charges; second wife wants divorce

People in Tennessee get divorced all the time. While this can be for a number of reasons, one of the more uncommon ones is because one's husband is already married to someone else. However, the second wife of the former mayor of a Tennessee town is pursuing a divorce or annulment because the ex-mayor is still married to the mother of his four children -- and has been for many years.

The man, who was the mayor of Oakland, Tennessee, resigned his position in March because he said he had been unfaithful to his wife. However ill-advised that relationship choice might have been, however, it was not illegal. Being married to two women at once, of course, is illegal in every state.

The second marriage allegedly took place on the Arkansas side of the border. However, it matters little in the eyes of the law that the marriage took place in a different state. Bigamy is prosecuted sometimes, and if the former mayor is convicted in this case, he could be sentenced to just under a year in jail and a fine.

The status of the mayor's first marriage is up in the air; at present he is not living with either of his wives but with his father. It would seem likely that someone in this situation could be on the hook for child support or alimony obligations as a result of his behavior. The women involved in this case might be inclined to work with experienced divorce attorneys in order to make their case for spousal support.

Source: KAIT-TV, "Former mayor heads to court on bigamy charge," April 4, 2013