Terrie Lynn Hall Hankins v. James Michael Hankins

In this case, the plaintiff wife filed for divorce from the defendant husband in December of 2003.
The husband collaterally attacked the validity of the wife’s previous divorce from her second husband in 1985, asserting that the wife was still married to her second husband. The trial court
bifurcated the proceedings to determine the validity of the parties’ marriage. After the hearings on
this issue, the trial court found that the wife’s efforts at service of process on her second husband
during her second divorce had been insufficient, and ruled that any subsequent marriage was
therefore invalid. After conducting further hearings as to the parties’ property, in its order on
division of assets, the court found that a bank account held jointly by the parties was the sole
property of the husband, and it awarded each party a one-half interest in real property located in
Humphreys County, Tennessee. We affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand for further
proceedings in the circuit court.