Clark County’s first-ever same-sex divorce case has been finalized by a judge.
Clark County Superior Court Judge Scott Collier signed an order granting the dissolution of marriage between Mary Lou Gill, 51, and Ronda Jean Adkins, 47, on Friday. The two Vancouver women were wed in April in British Columbia, a jurisdiction where same-sex marriage is legal. Gill filed for divorce here in July.
The judge’s decree read like that of any other divorce case, with no mention of the fact the marriage wasn’t legally recognized in Washington.
“The court has jurisdiction to enter a decree in this matter,” the conclusion of law simply stated.
The case drew publicity last month as being one of the first same-sex divorces in Washington. A handful of cases have already taken place in the Puget Sound area.
No ban in place
In an earlier interview, Collier defended his decision to grant the dissolution by saying that state statute does not ban same-sex divorce. Also, the judge said, not granting a dissolution could pose an even stickier problem: The women wouldn’t be able to divorce in British Columbia because they don’t have residency there.
Collier also cited a memo submitted by Gill’s former attorney, Kathleen McCann, as a reason for his decision.
The memo outlined a number of examples supporting the legal validity of the case. Among them: Judges traditionally grant dissolutions of marriages from foreign countries, as well as common law marriages, even though common law marriages aren’t legally recognized in Washington.
Gill and Adkins have declined to comment on this story.
Laura McVicker: 360-735-4516 or laura.mcvicker@columbian.com.
