Port v. Cowan
Court of Appeals of Maryland
44 A.3d 970 (Md. 2012)
Relevant factsFree
Jessica Port (plaintiff) and Virginia Cowan (defendant) married in California and later moved to Maryland, where Port sought a divorce two years later on grounds of voluntary separation; the trial court denied the petition, holding the California marriage was invalid in Maryland as contrary to public policy, and both parties appealed.
IssueFree
Whether a petition for divorce from a valid out-of-state same-sex marriage will generally be recognized so long as the marriage is not repugnant to public policy or expressly prohibited by state statute.