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Two-day marriage prompts lengthy divorce, possible trial

(Court TV) -- It was a storybook wedding. Rose Henry and Michael Shiels jettisoned from a bleak suburb of Detroit to the small village of Dingle, snuggled between rocky cliffs and the Atlantic Ocean in southwest Ireland. On a clear fall day, they were married in an old, Catholic chapel. The bride wore a traditional Irish wedding gown with a crisp, white lace overlay and a Claddagh ring, a Celtic symbol of friendship and love, with a heart-shaped diamond. After the ceremony, they had a champagne brunch at a nearby inn surrounded by locals who clapped and chanted in celebration.

The next day they traveled to Conner's Pass and watched the sunset from a cliff high above the sea. As twilight descended on the green rolling hills of the Irish countryside, Henry said something Shiels never expected to hear: It was over.

Henry is asking a court for an annulment of their marriage and a divorce from Shiels. She is also suing her groom for defamation, alleging he made false and intentionally malicious comments to the media.

Shiels is requesting a jury trial to recover legal fees, the money he spent on their five-figure wedding and compensation for the "willful emotional distress," Henry caused.

One of the shortest marriages ever

Rose Henry and Michael Shiels went to grade school together and their parents were acquainted. But it wasn't until years later when they both attended the May Procession at Our Lady of Carmichael in their hometown of Wyandotte, Mich., that the two became more than passing acquaintances.

"I saw her on the steps [of the church]," Shiels said, "and thought to myself 'Who's that?'"

They were both divorced with small children and soon began dating. Shiels says the two got along very well. He was a freelance sports writer and she was the successful owner of a coffee shop. He was attracted to Henry because of her confidence and felt the two could make a new start together.

A few months later he decided to make it official and proposed to Henry on her birthday. He hid the ring in her house and as she searched for it he says she was like "an excited school girl."

The soon-to-be groom sold his house and he and his 5-year-old son moved in with Henry and her two children, ages 5 and 6.

In August 2000, the couple flew to Ireland along with their children and Henry's mother and sister. Shiels said Henry seemed enthusiastic about their new life together on the plane.

That all changed immediately after the wedding. Shiels claims Henry was distant as they left the church. She changed out of her wedding gown and refused to sit next to him at the wedding lunch immediately after. He wasn't worried at first, thinking it was just jet lag or the stress of having three children in a foreign country.

When she decided she wanted to sleep in her children's room rather than the bridal suite, he says he knew something was very wrong. He asked her what it was and she just said she was tired and things would be better the next day.

But they weren't. The next day, a little over 24 hours after they said, "I do," Henry said she wanted out. She claimed the act of marriage had made her realize she didn't want to be married and would rather be alone.

Shiels said he suggested they go home right away and try counseling, but Henry insisted they enjoy their planned vacation in Ireland. They toured the Dingle peninsula and Henry kept Shiels at arm's length throughout the trip.

Back in the U.S., he dropped her off at her house and said goodbye. It was the last time he would see her out of court.

Longer divorce

Shiels' attorney, Audrey Stroia, said Henry should have to pay for the pain she caused her client.

"She's a 34-year-old, competent business woman," Stroia said. "She should know how her actions affect others."

If granted a jury trial, Stroia plans to argue that Henry led Shiels to believe she cared deeply for him and present e-mails, love letters and photos as evidence. She will also point out that Henry had a four-day marriage to another man before she met Shiels, something he didn't find out until their divorce procedures began.

Henry is countersuing for $100,000 for emotional distress caused by Shiel's comments to the media. She claims he gave out her unlisted phone number and address to journalists and falsely claimed the two had no relationship problems until the day of the wedding. She also claims Shiels said things like he was "so shocked [he is] getting divorce counseling" to intentionally hurt her.

Stroia countered by saying the suit was unjustified and that Henry was "taking away his (Shiel's) First Amendment rights."

Henry and her attorney, Don Gilhool, were not available for comment, but Gilhool told a Detroit TV station that his client felt pressured into marriage and did not want to be married anymore.

Stroia will contest the divorce and has filed a motion to settle the dispute through facilitation, in which both parties discuss their complaints through a mediator. She said she hopes this will give Shiels a chance to "achieve closure."

Either way, it won't be a happy resolution for Shiels.

"If I could write the ending," Shiels told Courttv.com "I would like to see us communicate and maybe even reconcile."