A Manhattan judge has agreed to dissolve the civil union of a same-sex New York couple hitched in Vermont.
Louis Viel and Gregory Williams were joined in civil union in Vermont more than a decade ago, said Viel’s lawyer, Malcolm Taub of Davidoff Malito & Hutcher. In a ruling from the bench on Wednesday, Supreme Court Justice Matthew Cooper granted Viel’s petition for dissolution, a move that Taub said helped reinforce the right of similarly-situated couples to have their unions dissolved in New York.
“This provides another precedent for granting relief to same-sex couples who prior to just recently were unable to have their rights determined in the courts of the state of New York,” he said. In 2000, Vermont became the first state to offer same-sex civil unions that conferred the same rights as marriage. With virtually no residency requirement, couples from neighboring states flocked to Vermont to enter into unions.
Click here for gay wedding resources in New York.
Click here for gay wedding resources in Vermont.
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