By Colleen Jenkins. The women said it was important for a U. Each couple was wed in a locality where same-sex marriage is legal, including several states and the District of Columbia.
If the ailing spouse dies before North Carolina recognizes the marriages, the surviving spouse will be denied benefits given to married couples, according to the American Civil Liberties Union, which helped file the lawsuit in U.
District Court in Greensboro. Those protections include benefits related to taxes, inheritance, insurance and retirement, the lawsuit said. The couples also worry about whether they will be allowed to stay with a spouse during medical procedures and emergencies, attorneys said.
The lawsuit is among dozens that have been pursued nationwide since a landmark U. Supreme Court decision last June allowed federal tax and other benefits for same-sex couples. Eight federal judges so far have ruled that states may not treat same-sex couples differently than opposite-sex couples, in cases that are all being appealed.
The ACLU has sought to expand gay-marriage rights in North Carolina, which in became the last state in the South to add a voter-approved ban on gay marriage to its constitution. A lesbian couple named as plaintiffs in the case filed a request on Wednesday seeking immediate relief from the courts. Financials Updated. By Colleen Jenkins 3 Min Read.
