Wedding Absence Doesn't Get Maryland Man Off Hook For Alimony, Court Says

Missing your wedding isn't a valid excuse for getting out of alimony payments, Maryland's highest court ruled in an unusual divorce case.

For more than 18 years, Montgomery County resident Noel Tshiani publicly claimed Marie-Louise Tshiani as his wife, but when she recently sought a divorce -- and alimony, property and child support -- he suddenly claimed the marriage wasn't real.

The couple were married in 1993 in the Congo, but Noel, a World Bank employee, was not physically present at the ceremony because he was on assignment in another African nation, according to court records. Instead, Noel's cousin represented him while he listened by phone.

A dowry of $200 cash, clothes and a live goat was exchanged before Marie-Louise went to live with Noel in Arlington, records said.
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