Legal Question in Family Law in Maryland

Re: Overseas marriages (panama)

Your statement of facts is inadequate to know what your real situation is. If you married the same person twice, once in Panama and once in the U.S., the second wedding was unnecessary and you only needed to be divorced once to be divorced. If you married one person in each country, the second marriage was void if you were still married to someone else, and the first marriage would still be valid until you and the first spouse divorce. A divorce from the second spouse would not actually be a divorce since there was no valid marriage, and there should be an annulment instead. A first marriage which is still valid does "void out" the second marriage, but the records need to be fixed and the second "spouse" needs to be informed. A second marriage never"voids out" the first marriage, and there could in fact be criminal law consequences.

Re: Overseas marriages (panama)

Your cryptic question was a little difficult to understand, but I'm assuming that you were married in Panama, never divorced, then remarried in the U.S. and subsequently divorced.

If the Panama marriage was legal in accordance with Panamanian law, your U.S. marriage was void from the outset. You essentially committed a fraud on your U.S. spouse by holding yourself out as single at the time of marriage when you were not.

Re: Overseas marriages (panama)

Your shorthand description is not clear. Forget that two countries are involved since by treaty the two countries recognize marriage and divorce from the other country. If your sequence was marriage, divorce, marriage, then your last marriage is valid if the marriage conforms to the law of the country. If your sequence was, marriage, marriage, divorce from your second marriage, then you may still be married. We are assuming your marriages and divorce were legally performed. One marriage does not "cancel out" the other marriage. It's confusing but this should tell you whether or not you're married (we think you know).