Some states have a statute, known as the Enoch Arden Doctrine, for when a spouse, believing for a certain period of time that the other spouse is dead, marries another. If the original spouse returns, the marrying spouse may get a divorce or a legal exemption so that the marrying spouse can remarry. The length of time required varies depending on the laws of the particular state in question, usually seven years. The name of the statute comes from an 1864 poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.
[Last updated in October of 2022 by the Wex Definitions Team]
- Keywords