NATION : William Hurt Wins Palimony Ruling; Dancer Can’t Claim Movie Earnings

No common-law marriage exists between actor William Hurt and former dancer Sandra Jennings, a judge ruled today, precluding Hurt’s former live-in lover from claiming a share of his movie earnings, estimated at $5 million to $7 million.

State Supreme Court Justice Jacqueline Silbermann said the relationship was illicit when it began because Hurt was married to someone else, and did not become legitimate simply because “The Big Chill” star got divorced.

“Absent proof of a mutual agreement to be married, an agreement to marry cannot be inferred from the fact that the parties were living together,” the judge said. “The contrary is true.”

If the judge had determined the two were married under common law, Jennings could have pursued support for herself.

The decision did not deal with support for the couple’s 6-year-old son, Alexander Devon Hurt.

Jennings’ lawyer, A. Richard Golub, called the ruling a “joke” and said he will appeal. The judge is “so madly in love with this defendant, Bill Hurt, that we never could have gotten a fair shake,” he asserted.