Samantha, 34, and Hutchingson were married on a beach in South Carolina last April. She was killed later that night and groom Aric Hutchinson was seriously injured after an alleged drunk driver crashed into them as they rode in a golf cart to an Airbnb.
The mom of a bride who was killed by an alleged drunk driver is claiming her daughter was never legally married to the groom.
Samantha Miller was killed on her wedding night by an allegedly drunk driver. The groom, Aric Hutchinson, is set to settle multi-million dollar lawsuits against the bars where the accused driver allegedly got drunk. However, the bride’s mother, Lisa Miller, is claiming, in court papers, that Samantha and Hutchinson were never legally married, which would make her the beneficiary instead of Hutchinson.
“I’m not sure what would bring her to challenge the validity of her own daughter’s marriage in order to get money," Hutchinson's attorney, Patrick Wooten, tells Inside Edition.
Samantha, 34, and Hutchinson were married on a beach in South Carolina last April. She was killed later that night and Hutchinson was seriously injured as they rode in a golf cart to an Airbnb.
“The only indication that Ms. Miller’s lawyers have given for challenging the validity of the marriage is that Sam and Aric didn’t have the opportunity to cohabitate or sleep in the same bed because Sam was tragically killed the night of her wedding,” Wooten says. “Under South Carolina law, it is crystal clear that you do not have to cohabitate or spend the night together in order to have a valid license.”
Hints of the family rift came after 25-year-old Jamie Komoroski appeared in court charged with vehicular homicide. Lisa Miller wanted Samantha’s maiden name to be used and not her married name of Hutchinson.
Earlier this week, the bride’s mother posted a video about her grief without mentioning the tension with her son-in-law.
“This year I’ve re-directed my grief, I guess. Even though I’m sure I’m going to have my days,” Lisa said.
Wooten says the rift is hitting his client hard.
“It’s a double whammy. Aric had a good relationship with his mother-in-law until she began threatening to challenge the validity of his marriage in order to get money out of the litigation,” he says.
The bride’s mother tells Inside Edition she and Aric Miller knows how her daughter "would have wanted all of this handled, and, I am hoping in time, we can still honor that."
The driver has pled not guilty.
