Sex Change Woman Sues Her Former Spouse (Press, 28 July 1971)
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Summary: Sex Change Woman Sues Her Former Spouse (Press, 28 July 1971)
In a notable legal case in Santa Ana, California, Mrs Doris Burnell has initiated a lawsuit against her ex-husband, Maurice Burnell, who has transitioned to being a woman. The case was filed on 27 July 1971, in the Orange County Superior Court. Mrs Burnell is seeking damages of $1 million, claiming that her husband’s sex reassignment deprived her of a spouse despite her objections to the procedure. In addition to Maurice, Mrs Burnell has named Dr Roy Catazone, the Hollywood physician who performed the sex-change operation, as a co-defendant. According to her lawyer, Mr Robert Tuller, Mrs Burnell tried to dissuade Maurice and Dr Catazone from proceeding with the operation by using various means, including counsel and emotional appeals. The couple, who were married in 1964, had no children together but raised Maurice's two daughters from a previous marriage. Mr Tuller indicated that this transition has significantly affected the teenage daughters, leading to feelings of embarrassment and emotional distress each time they see their father as a woman. Mrs Burnell expressed her shock over the sudden desire of her husband to change genders, stating that it developed in a very brief period and left her “ill, excited and so nervous” to the point of suffering a collapse. Following the gender reassignment in July 1970, Mrs Burnell separated from Maurice. In her lawsuit, she claims damages for the intentional interference with her marital contract and the intentional infliction of mental suffering. The case highlights not only the complexities surrounding gender identity but also the emotional and legal ramifications that can arise within marriages during such life-altering transitions.
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