First same-sex couple divorces inside Evangeline Parish

Just over seven months after the United States Supreme Court made the historic decision to legalize same-sex marriage Evangeline Parish experienced its first same-sex couple divorce.
Plaintiff Amy Lynn Davison, of St. Landry Parish, and defendant Nicole Ursula Davison, of Evangeline Parish, appeared before Judge Gary Ortego for a divorce hearing on Monday.
The couple was first married on January 22, 2013 in Polk County, Iowa, where same-sex marriage had been recognized in the state since Iowa’s Supreme Court ruling in April of 2009.
The two ladies marriage to one another became recognized in the State of Louisiana in June when same-sex marriage became legal on a federal level.
Amy and Nicole, according to court documents, first separated in February of 2014, and on January 25, 2016 they were officially granted a divorce by Judge Ortego.
Along with her request for a divorce, Amy, who was represented by attorney Alex Chapman, also petitioned to have her former last name, Prieto, restored. Judge Ortego confirmed and proclaimed that the plaintiff’s request to change her name had been accepted.