Goode v. Goode

McHUGH, Justice:

This case is before the Court upon two certified questions from the Circuit Court of Lincoln County. The plaintiff is Martha Louise Goode. The defendant is Carl Edward Goode. 1

I

The plaintiff filed a divorce action in the Circuit Court of Lincoln County based upon irreconcilable differences and mental and physical cruelty. 2 However, the plaintiff and defendant’s “marriage” was not the result of a formal ceremony, nor is there a marriage license to substantiate the plaintiff’s claim that a marriage exists.

Rather, the plaintiff alleges that her marriage to the defendant is based…