Study Aids
Case Briefs Overview
Casebooks
Case Briefs
E

Etheridge v. Shaddock

706 S.W.2d 395 (1986)

From our private database of 46,500+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

Etheridge v. Shaddock

Arkansas Supreme Court
706 S.W.2d 395 (1986)

  • Written by Haley Gintis, JD

Facts

In 1984, Eva Jean Etheridge (plaintiff) and Donald Ray Shaddock (defendant) divorced. Shaddock was granted custody of the children. Shaddock then married Anna Frank Delozier in Arkansas. Because Shaddock and Delozier were first cousins, their marriage was not valid under Arkansas law. When Shaddock and Delozier realized that their marriage was not valid, they obtained an annulment. Shaddock and Delozier then married in Texas, which allows marriage between cousins, and returned to Arkansas. After Shaddock had remarried Delozier, Etheridge petitioned the court for a modification of the divorce decree so that she could receive custody of the children. Etheridge argued that Shaddock’s incestuous marriage satisfied the change-of-conditions requirement to modify a divorce decree and that the incestuous marriage was grounds to grant her custody of the children. The chancellor court denied Etheridge’s petition on the ground that the incestuous marriage did not satisfy the change-of-conditions requirement to modify a divorce decree. The matter was then appealed to the Arkansas Supreme Court. On appeal, the court considered whether a marriage between cousins, performed in a state permitting such a marriage, should be recognized as valid under Arkansas law.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Smith, J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 832,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

    Unlock this case briefRead our student testimonials

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.

    Learn about our approachRead more about Quimbee

Here's why 832,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,500 briefs, keyed to 994 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 832,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
  • 46,500 briefs - keyed to 994 casebooks
  • Uniform format for every case brief
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
  • Top-notch customer support

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership

Casebooks

Family Law

Key Terms