Texas AG Ken Paxton Is Trying To Screw A Lesbian Widow Out of Her Wife’s Estate
Like Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is proving that not even the threat of contempt will stop him from trying to undermine the U.S. Supreme Courts same-sex marriage ruling.
Last month, Paxton was ordered to appear in federal court and explain why he shouldnt be held in contempt after the state failed to issue an accurate death certificate to a gay widower for six weeks after the ruling. Paxton responded by pledging to comply with the ruling, and convinced U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia to cancel the hearing. Then, he turned around and filed a motion saying the high courts decision in Obergefell v. Hodges shouldnt apply retroactively in an Austin estate case.
The Texas Observer reports:
Paxtons office filed a motion August 25 in Travis Countys probate court aimed at blocking an Austin woman from inheriting a portion of her deceased partners estate, arguing that because same-sex marriage was illegal in Texas throughout the womens relationship, Sonemaly Phrasavath has no legal right to her partners funds.
Brian Thompson, Phrasavaths attorney, told the Observer that the AGs offices continued filings in the case show that it is not recognizing the full force of the Obergefell opinion.
Although they werent legally married, Phrasavath is seeking to have her eight-year relationship with Connie Powell recognized as a common-law marriage, and it otherwise appears to meet the criteria. Powells siblings are trying to exclude Phrasavath from her estate, which Thompson said totals roughly $700,000.
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http://www.towleroad.com/2015/09/texas-ag-ken-paxton-trying-screw-lesbian-widow-wifes-estate/