IN RE MARRIAGE OF OBAIDI

N/A

OUTCOME: The Court concluded that under neutral principles of contract law, the parties did not enter into an agreement for payment of $ 20,000 to the wife upon divorce. Therefore, we reverse the trial court's enforcement of the mahr.

The parties are both children of Afghan immigrants and the couple was married according to Afghan custom. As part of these customs, the parties signed a "mahr" agreement during an engagement or Nikkah ... ceremony. The question presented here is whether the mahr is a valid agreement.