Appellate Division, First Department · January 6, 2026 · 251 AD3d 44
FUNTI v ANDREWS
Read the official decision: 251 AD3d 44
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Holding The court held that the parties were not validly married under New York Domestic Relations Law because the ceremony did not meet the statutory requirements for solemnization. Specifically, the ceremony failed to comply with the undisputed requirements of the Coptic Church, such as the exchange of rings and proper registration, and the lower court erred in relying on secular factors instead of neutral principles of law.
The court’s words
we hold that the parties are not validly married pursuant to the Domestic Relations Law
251 AD3d 44, at the official text
the parties did not solemnly declare that they took each other as spouses
251 AD3d 44, at the official text
the failure to show compliance with one of these requirements would be enough
251 AD3d 44, at the official text
the parties are not validly married and defendant’s motion to dismiss the complaint should have been granted
251 AD3d 44, at the official text
| Court | Appellate Division, First Department |
|---|---|
| Decided | January 6, 2026 |
| Citation | 251 AD3d 44 |
| Area of law | Family Law |
| Week | Week ending January 10, 2026 |
| Official text | Official decision: 251 AD3d 44 |
| Source feed | New York advance sheet: 26nyadv35.pdf |
| Law Watch record id | 71 |
Recommended citation
ESQ HQ, New York Law Watch, FUNTI v ANDREWS, 251 AD3d 44 (Appellate Division, First Department, January 6, 2026), https://esqhq.com/decisions/251-ad3d-44/
How this record was made
Holding drafted by Law Watch’s in-house model, graded by three reviewers; every quotation verified word for word against the official text.
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