Should a Religious Marriage Pledge Be Treated as Any Other Contract?
That was the question before the Connecticut Supreme Court last Thursday when partner Sarah E. Murray appeared on behalf of our client, the former wife of a Connecticut Rabbi.
While our client is seeking alimony from her ex-husband after nearly 30 years of marriage, he asserts that Torah Law only requires a 50-50 property division and relieves him of any such obligation. During Thursday’s proceeding, his attorney pointed to the Ketubah the couple signed during their wedding ceremony, arguing that it was essentially a civil contract and should be interpreted and applied no differently than any other.
In her counterargument, Murray maintained that the document was merely a “ceremonial’ element of their wedding. She also noted that the Ketubah only became an issue in the divorce when her client signaled she would pursue alimony.
The Connecticut Supreme Court must now decide whether the constitutional separation of church and state forbids the state’s civil divorce courts from enforcing the Ketubah – or, for that matter, any similar marriage agreements central to the weddings of other faiths.
