Legal for 'Lost' Actor Doug Hutchison, 51, To Marry Singer, 16?
Actor Doug Hutchison, best known for his roles in Lost, 24 and The Green Mile, has reportedly married one Courtney Alexis Stodden.
Why should you care?
The aspiring beauty queen (she participated in Miss Teen Washington USA) and county-music singer is 16.
Hutchison is 51.
As for how a 16 and 51-year-old fell into a romantic relationship, The Washington Post reports that Courtney Alexis Stodden is a client of Hutchison's company, Dark Water, which represents various artists.
Whether that's how the pair met is unknown, but the paper reports that they were married in a Las Vegas ceremony at some point during May, and that they want everyone to know that "true love can be ageless."
Obviously the entire relationship raises questions about statutory rape and marriage laws in both Las Vegas and elsewhere.
Ordinarily, such a relationship would certainly violate these laws; but, in Nevada, where the age of consent for marriage is 18, a 16 or 17-year-old can marry with the permission of her parents.
Stodden's parents are apparently supportive of the whole ordeal, notes The Washington Post.
As for the statutory rape implications, such criminal sanctions are generally considered not to apply to married couples. And because their marriage is recognized in all 50 states via the Full Faith and Credit Clause, the relationship also doesn't run afoul of statutory rape laws elsewhere.
Even though it's legal, if you still think the relationship between Doug Hutchison and Courtney Alexis Stodden is creepy, you're probably not alone.
Related Resources:
- 'Lost' actor Doug Hutchison, 51, marries 16-year-old in Vegas (New York Post)
- Marriage Requirements Basics: Consent, Age, and Capacity (FindLaw)
- Statutory Rape (FindLaw)
- Mark Sanchez Girlfriend: Eliza Kruger, 17, Linked to Jets QB (FindLaw's Celebrity Justice)