Catalano v. Catalano
Connecticut Supreme Court
170 A.2d 726 (1961)
- Written by Tammy Boggs, JD
Facts
Fred Catalano (defendant) was a citizen of Connecticut. In 1951, he married his niece, Maria Catalano (plaintiff) in Italy. The marriage was legal in Italy. Fred returned to the United States. Five years later, in 1956, Maria moved to Connecticut to live with Fred, and she gave birth to their child. In 1958, Fred died. Maria sued Fred’s estate seeking a widow’s support allowance, to which she was only entitled if she was his surviving spouse. Marriage between an uncle and a niece was prohibited under state law. The probate court denied Maria’s request for a widow’s allowance, and Maria appealed to the superior court. The superior court submitted a question to the state’s high court regarding whether Maria was Fred’s surviving spouse.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Murphy, J.)
Dissent (Mellitz, J.)
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