Alicia is not common law married
Just wanted to clarify re: crappy hour discussion of common law marriage. (just in case someone heard it and thought it might apply to them!! But I’m not a family lawyer, so if you think this is relevant to you, go talk to one…)
In RI and every U.S. state I’m aware of, you are not common law married or entitled to half just because you’ve dated / lived with someone for ten years. Common law marriage is a doctrine intended to protect couples who *incorrectly believed* they were married. You and your “spouse” must both believe that you’re married and hold yourself out to the community as a married couple. Like imagine the man you thought was your husband of many years dies and it turns out he mistakenly never actually got a marriage license—we still want you to be treated as his spouse for purposes of inheritance, etc. So common law marriage can never apply to people who, like Alicia, know and represent to the community that they are not married.
Explainer from RI attorney - https://www.kirshenbaumri.com/library/dissolving-a-rhode-island-common-law-marriage.cfm