Judge recognises lesbian couple as spouses after death of one partner
In a landmark decision, a judge in the US has recognised a same-sex union as a common law marriage.
Sabrina Maurer was involved in a fight to have legal recognition of her relationship with her late partner Kim Underwood.
Bucks County Judge C Theodore Fritsch Jr, said the women qualified retroactively as common-law spouses, following the death of Underwood in 2013.
The couple were together since 2001, and Underwood died a year before Pennsylvania was ordered to conduct same-sex marriages by a federal judge.
The couple had a church union, but were not legally recognised as married during their relationship, but the state was also ordered to recognise marriages conducted earlier.
It is the first time a common law same-sex union has been recognised in the state.
