© 2024 University of Missouri - KBIA
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Boone County judge grants divorce for gay couple

Boone County Courthouse
Jacob Fenston
/
KBIA
Boone County courthouse.

A Boone County judge has granted what apparently is the first same-sex divorce in Missouri, which has a constitutional amendment against recognizing same-sex marriages.

Boone County Circuit Judge Leslie Schneider granted a divorce last month for Dena and Samantha Latimer, who were married in Massachusetts in 2009 and lived in Columbia. The Columbia Daily Tribune reports Schneider ruled that a Missouri court can recognize the law of the state where the marriage was performed "for the limited purpose of granting equitable relief."

Tana Benner, a Columbia lawyer who represented Dena Latimer, said the Latimers were pleased the judge granted the divorce.

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.
Related Content