Fares v. Fares

Appellant Sameer Fares and appellee Kifah Fares obtained a marriage license in Missouri in 1990. The parties lived together, had four children,1 and now reside in Little Rock, Arkansas. In 2015, Kifah filed a complaint for divorce in Pulaski County Circuit Court, and Sameer filed a counterclaim for divorce.

After the divorce proceedings had commenced, Sameer filed a petition for annulment of marriage or judgment declaring the marriage void. This petition was based on the fact that Sameer and Kifah are first cousins, making the marriage void under Missouri law. Missouri Annotated Statutes…