February 13, 2014
Lawsuit Challenges Ala. Anti-Gay Marriage Law
Jason St. Amand READ TIME: 1 MIN.
A gay man whose husband was killed in a car accident is filing a federal lawsuit challenging the Alabama laws that prohibit the recognition of his marriage, which was legally performed in Massachusetts.
The lawsuit in Montgomery federal court seeks to overturn Alabama's bans on the recognition of same-sex marriages legally performed in other states.
Plaintiff Paul Hard and David Fancher, both of Montgomery, were married in 2011. Three months later, Fancher was killed in a car accident.
Hard says hospital staff initially refused to speak with him, and Fancher's death certificate says he died unmarried. Hard is also not recognized as the surviving spouse in a wrongful death lawsuit.
