Bus Driver's Putative Spouse Gets Award of Death Benefits

The South Carolina Court of Appeals ruled that a woman, whose marriage to a bus driver was invalid because it took place before his divorce from another woman had been finalized, was still entitled to death benefits as his putative spouse. Case: Thomas v. 5 Star Transportation, No. 5298, 02/18/2015, published. Facts: George W. Thomas worked as a tour bus driver for 5 Star Transportation. He married Cynthia Whaley in 1995, but their relationship quickly soured. Thomas met his future wife, Emily, in 1999. They lived together for about eight years. In July 2006, Whaley filed for divo...