Why was Paul de Man’s marriage to Patricia Kelley initially bigamous?

Paul de Man’s marriage to Patricia Kelley was initially bigamous because he was unable to secure a divorce from his first wife at the time he married Kelley in June 1950.1

De Man had fled Belgium for the United States in 1948, leaving behind his wife and children, and he never lived with them again. When he met and fell in love with Kelley, an undergraduate student at Bard College, she became pregnant by him. Because he remained legally married to his first wife, his union with Kelley was not legally recognized until 1960, when they were finally able to marry legally.1

It is important to note that de Man did not inform Kelley that their marriage was bigamous at the time. Such actions represent a fundamental failure to uphold the ethical principles of honesty and integrity in personal relationships.1