Court sides with transgender widow in fight over estate

FILE - In this Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2013 file photo, Nikki Araguz, center, and William Loyd, right, are married by the Rev. Michael Diaz with Resurrection Metropolitan Community Church in Houston in front of the Nueces County Courthouse in Corpus Christi, Texas. The couple got married after Araguz's hearing in the Thirteenth Court of Appeals. Araguz, a transgender woman, is trying to collect benefits following the 2010 death of her former husband, Thomas Araguz, whose family argues that the marriage wasn't valid because Nikki Araguz was born a man. (AP Photo/Corpus Christi Caller-Times, Michael Zamora) less FILE - In this Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2013 file photo, Nikki Araguz, center, and William Loyd, right, are married by the Rev. Michael Diaz with Resurrection Metropolitan Community Church in Houston in front of ... more Photo: Michael Zamora, Associated Press Photo: Michael Zamora, Associated Press Image 1 of / 35 Caption Close Court sides with transgender widow in fight over estate 1 / 35 Back to Gallery

WHARTON, Texas (AP) — A state appeals court has reaffirmed its earlier decision to validate the marriage of a transgender widow seeking the estate of her firefighter husband who died battling a blaze.

The ruling Friday by the 13th Texas Court of Appeals sent the case of Nikki Araguz Loyd back to a Wharton County judge who originally voided the marriage because Texas did not recognize same-sex marriage. Kent Rutter, an attorney for Loyd, said Monday that ruling meant Loyd was not entitled to Thomas Araguz's estate.

Rutter says the appeals court had ruled early last year in Loyd's favor — determining she was a woman at the time of her marriage — but had to issue another ruling this month after an appeal sent to the Texas Supreme Court was not heard.

The U.S. Supreme Court has since legalized gay marriages.