Marc Might Not Be Divorced

Jennifer Lopez Forum

TOO OUICK OFF MARC? Jun 10 2004

US officials reckon J-Lo's new marriage may not be legal after her new hubby rushed his divorce

THE secret marriage of Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony may not be valid, it has been revealed.

The couple tied the knot in a hush-hush ceremony on Saturday afternoon at J-Lo's Beverly Hills home after Anthony dashed down to the Dominican Republic for a quickie divorce.

Anthony's ex-wife Dayanara Torres had already filed for divorce from the Latino singer in New York earlier this year. Yet he flew into Santo Domingo himself last week to get the divorce finalised in just three days.

Now the US State Department has cast doubts over the couple's marriage. They claim Anthony may have moved too quickly and the happy couple's nuptials may not be recognised as legal.

Anthony and Lopez exchanged 'I dos' just four days after he got the quickie divorce.

But a document from the US Embassy in the Dominican Republic says that such divorces have 'no validity' for 60 days.

That would mean the couple jumped the gun by 56 days and their wedding is not official. The document, which can be found on the Embassy's website, reveals that once the divorce judgment has been recorded there has to be a 60-day period during which it may be appealed by either party.

The document reads: 'A divorce in the Dominican Republic has no effect or validity until such a time as certain precise steps have been taken during the final phase of the divorce process.

'The judgment or 'sentencia' must be rendered and filed in the Office of the Civil Registry or 'Oficina de Registro Civil'.

'This filing date begins the 60-day period during which either party may appeal the judgment.

'The judgment must then be 'pronounced' by a non-judicial official of the Office of the Civil Registry. The pronouncement ends the marriage. The parties are then considered single. Within eight days of the pronouncement, the divorce judgment must be published once in a newspaper of general circulation.

'This is the responsibility of the parties involved and/or their lawyer. Without the pronouncement and publication the divorce is not valid under Dominican law.'

However, last night Hollywood powerhouse attorney Neal Hirsh, who is currently representing Halle Berry in her divorce, said he doubted the document was correct. Hirsh said that the 60-day waiting period does not make any sense, adding: 'I've never known there to be a lengthy waiting period.

'The object of a Dominican divorce is to do it quickly. If Anthony wanted to have a 60-day waiting period, he most likely could have done that within his own state.'

According to the Dominican Republican statute, if foreigners divorce in the country and neither side contests which Torres did not the divorce is final in three days. So according to their law, the Anthony-Lopez union, just four days after the divorce was granted, may be perfectly legal.

However, there is no comment from the US State Department on whether the information it is handing out at its Embassy in the Dominican Republic is correct.

So there's no way of knowing for sure if the couple really are officially married.

If she IS pregnant and they are NOT married OMG that would just be hilarious.

If he's not divorced, not only does that make his marriage to J-Lo void, doesn't it also make him a bigamist? Can't he be arrested and stuff for that?

J.LO MARRIAGE QUESTION MARKS

Doubts have been raised about the validity of Jennifer Lopez's marriage to Marc Anthony, because his divorce from ex-wife Dayanara Torres could be invalid in America.

The pair married in secret at Lopez's Los Angeles home on Saturday.

But sources have told British newspaper the Daily Express that Anthony's quickie divorce from Torres, which he obtained in the Dominican Republic last week in just three days, should have taken at least two months.

A document from the U.S. embassy in the Dominican Republic claims a 60-day "buffer" is enforced to allow either party to appeal.

A source tells the newspaper, "This is very worrying for the couple. They thought the procedure was the best way of getting married quickly but now there is a huge question mark over whether the wedding was legal.

"If the divorce was not complete then Marc is effectively a bigamist."

But leading American lawyer Neal Hirsh insists the divorce is legal.

Hirsh -- who is currently representing Halle Berry in her divorce from Eric Benet -- says, "I've never known there to be a lengthy waiting period. The object of getting a Dominican divorce is to do it quickly.

"If Anthony wanted to have a 60-day waiting period, he most likely could have done that within his own state."

The U.S. State Department have yet to confirm if Anthony's divorce was legal.

LATINO hunk Marc Anthony will have been happy that wife J-Lo decided to stay low profile for his first big post-wedding outing with ex-wife Dayanara Torres.

Anthony attended the christening of his son, one-year-old Ryan Anthony Muniz and seemed every bit the proud dad. He wed J-Lo in June but she'll be happy to know he only had eyes for little Ryan during the ceremony.

I am glad he's still involved in his old family's life, I would've thought J-Lo might be too demanding for him to have time to see his old family. Good on you Marc!