Congressman Alan Grayson Accuses His Wife of Bigamy

Florida Congressman Alan Grayson is requesting an annulment from his wife of nearly 24 years on the grounds that she was already wed to another man when they got married.

Florida Rep. Alan Grayson is requesting an annulment from his wife of nearly 24 years on the grounds that she was already wed to another man when they got married.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, Grayson accused his wife Lolita of "fraud, unjust enrichment and misrepresentation," among other things, in new divorce filings submitted last week. Lolita had started divorce proceedings back in January. In March, Lolita accused the Democratic congressman of pushing her during a domestic dispute, a charge vehemently denied by his press secretary. Still, a judge granted a temporary protective injunction against him over the accusation. Alan is suing Lolita for defamation over that incident.

Today's filing notes, rather unromantically, claim that Lolita "represented herself as single in order to induce Mr. Grayson to marry her," and that the relationship amounted to a "bigamous marriage." The Tampa Bay Times offers more details:

Lolita Grayson filed a false application for their marriage license, [the filing] says, asserting that she had been divorced since 1981. "Unbeknownst to Mr. Grayson," the filing adds, "Ms. Grayson was married and remained married to another man... up to and after the parties conducted an apparent marriage ceremony on April 28, 1990." Several years after marrying Alan Grayson, Lolita Grayson "secretly participated" in a divorce from her prior husband, a man named Robert Carson, in Broward County, Fla., the documents state.

The filing included a copy of the alleged 1994 divorce papers, between Lolita Carson and one Robert Carson.  According to local news channel WESH, Grayson also accused his wife of physical and verbal battery. 

WESH notes that if Lolita was indeed secretly married to another man, Alan would be exempt from financial obligations to Lolita, aside from child support. The two have five children — Skye, Star, Sage, Storm and Stone — four of them under 18. 

Correction: This post initially said that Alan would be exempt from paying child support. The text has been corrected.