A divorce can change a person’s finances and lifestyle. In some cases, one of the spouses may not be so quick to agree to a divorce. What happens when an Alabama spouse refuses to divorce but then marries someone else?

This case refers to the Orthodox Jewish law. Under civil law, an ex-husband and ex-wife have been divorced for over seven years, but the ex-husband has yet to give his ex-wife a “get,” which is the document required to officially end the marriage. Without this document, the ex-wife cannot get married to someone else, but the ex-husband has wasted no time in getting remarried himself through a Jewish legal loophole. He was granted permission by 100 rabbis to marry his second wife. In spite of the ex-husband being granted permission to remarry, one rabbi believes this action is violation of the Jewish law and is also domestic abuse.

Furthermore, the ex-husband is apparently trying to bribe his ex-wife into giving him full custody of their child and wants a large sum of money in exchange for an official divorce. When Jewish spouses have disagreements, they are required to go before a religious court in front of three rabbis. However, the ex-husband has yet to respond, even after being approached by a religious rabbi about courts his ex-wife could submit to.

In most cases, spouses are able to file claims in family court to be granted the divorce they desire. Sometimes, however, Alabama spouses are reluctant to readily sign divorce documents regardless of the reason. This can delay the divorce process, and even more so for Jewish marriages. Jewish cases involving a spouse that refuses to grant a divorce may be taken to a religious courtroom in front of rabbis who will hear their case.

Source: The New York Times, Unwilling to Allow His Wife a Divorce, He Marries Another, Jennifer Medina, March 21, 2014