Believe-it-or-Not Tales of Divorce from Around the World

The Huffington Post recently highlighted “7 Weird Divorce Stories,” and the real-life marital tales of woe are hard to believe.

Framing these quirky anecdotes is the recent story of a UK woman, who claimed that she was not made aware that “divorce” would legally end her marriage. Within this case, Jane Mulcahy claims that her attorneys should have taken her religious faith (Roman Catholic) into consideration and offered up “judicial separation” as an alternative to divorce, which would have kept the legal marriage in tact. Mulcahy tried to file a suit against her legal team for “professional negligence,” stating that they should have explained more clearly the meaning of “divorce.” The case was dismissed by the judge, as was the subsequent appeal.

In 2009, a woman turned to divorce because her husband cleaned too much. While this seems like a dream scenario for many, apparently after 15 years of marriage his tendency for cleaning and rearranging furniture was too much for his wife to take.  And, considering the final straw for the woman was him knocking down a wall and rebuilding it because it was dirty, maybe his penchant for cleanliness was a little out of hand.

In 2007, a man in China divorced his wife when he found out she lied about her age – 10 years after they were married.  When the man proposed he was under the impression she was 24, when she was actually 30, and she was able to maintain this lie for a decade. Sounds exhausting!

In 2001, a woman used deductive reasoning to conclude her husband was having an affair when their pet bird started chirping the words “divorce” and “be patient.” While this seems like a scene out of a movie, it was reality for this woman who used the bird’s testimony as grounds for divorce.

In 2011, a 99-year-old man and his 96-year-old wife became the oldest couple to divorce, after the husband came across love letters from an affair his wife had in the 1940s. The couple had been married for 77 years, but the knowledge of her adultery, regardless of the fact that it happened 60 years before, was a dealbreaker.

While these examples are quirky one-of-a-kind anecdotes, the circumstances of each divorce are unique and should always be taken seriously.  Marriage is not something that is entered into lightly, and neither is divorce. Regardless of how unusual the above stories seem, they each involve real people. At Fields and Dennis, we have experience in a wide range of divorce cases handled in a variety of ways. From litigation to mediation, divorce is a personal experience. Let us help you find the right solution for you. Contact Fields and Dennis for a confidential consultation.

1 Comment

  1. […] recently took a look at some unique divorce stories, and one of the couples featured was the record holder for the oldest to divorce — a […]