Cantarella v. Cantarella

Opinion

IKOLA, J.

In this case, we consider whether registration of a marriage certificate was vital to the validity of a marriage under the Family Law Act (Civ. Code, former § 4000 et seq.).1

In 1991, a judge conducted a marriage ceremony for Joseph S. Cantarella (husband) and Tanya M. Cantarella (wife). The marriage certificate, however, was twice rejected for registration due to a technical error on the document. After the second rejection, the parties decided not to resubmit the certificate for registration, possibly to avoid the tax consequences of marriage.2 As a result, the 1991 marriage…