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First Come, First Served?
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This woman's husband, a prison guard, died, but when she tried to collect survivor's benefits, she got a surprise: He had another wife. Specifically, he never formally divorced his first wife before marrying the second. The first wife, who'd tried to divorce him but couldn't find him to file the paperwork, now wants the money, too, and, technically, she's entitled. Needless to say, this is in court, and raises the question of intent: If the first wife went so far as to TRY to divorce the guy, should she have the right to collect now? And didn't this come up when the second marriage took place? How do you just not divorce and then get married again? And how would the second wife check that out in the absence of any kind of national registry? (St. Petersburg Times)
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