Henry Pierson Curtis

Orlando Sentinel

KISSIMMEE — Marriage and divorce follow standard patterns across the United States, except for the case of Ditzel v. Bowser. The bridegroom swears he never got married. The bride says he just didn’t want to attend the ceremony. So on May 24, 2008, the wedding of Matthew J. Ditzel to Heather M. Bowser went on without him.

A marriage license states they became husband and wife on the Kissimmee lakefront. Yet that didn’t happen. One of the bride’s co-workers, a notary public, illegally signed and stamped the document. A year later, lawyers argue over the wreckage of love. The groom’s request for an immediate annulment was denied by Circuit Judge Jeffrey M. Fleming.

Source: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orl-locmarried-and-did-not-know-062062309jun23,0,1206023.story