Why this couple isn’t allowed to undo their divorce

A couple in New Hampshire who divorced after 24 years of marriage had a change of heart and decided to get back together, but the court says it’s too late. Terrie Harmon and her husband (ex-husband, we guess? As Facebook would say, it’s complicated), Thomas McCarron divorced back in 2014. In March of this year, though, they filed a joint motion to vacate their divorce decree. I know this might sound strange. I mean, divorce seems like a final thing. (Unless you get married again, but that’s a whole other can of worms.) In some states though, like Illinois, Nebraska, Mississippi, Arkansas, Kentucky and Maryland, divorces can be overturned within a certain amount of time or under special circumstances.

Not so in New Hampshire, apparently. Terrie, who happens to be a lawyer, stated in the joint motion that the divorce was erroneous (since she and her hubby are lovebirds once again) and even took her argument all the way to the state’s Supreme Court. The court unanimously disagreed. Terrie and Thomas will remain divorced. (Again, unless they choose to remarry each other, which is totally up to them.)

Attorney Joshua Gordon was appointed to defend the lower court’s ruling in this case. According to the Associated Press, he argued, “Divorce is a uniquely fraught area of litigation. For divorced couples, it is often important to have the solace of knowing that their former spouse is indeed former.”

He’s got a point, obviously. But why did the couple go to so much trouble to try and get their divorce undone instead of just taking another trip down the aisle?

Gordon speculates, “I think it was partly sentimental, and partly that they had some business interests that a divorce and remarry would be more complicated than undoing the divorce.”

My romantic heart can’t help but root for Terrie and Thomas. Might there be a wedding in their future? Time will tell. Whether they once again become husband and wife or remain boyfriend and girlfriend, we wish them many happy years together.

(Image via Shutterstock.)

Filed Under