Palimony Pioneer Pegs It

A pop culture icon of the late 1970s, Michelle Triola Marvin, has died in Malibu, California.

Triola Marvin was an obscure actress when she got into a relationship with actor Lee Marvin in 1964. She took his surname as hers, though the couple never married in their decade-long relationship.

When the relationship ended, Triola Marvin sued her ex, claiming she was entitled to what came to be known as "palimony," "claiming that she deserved part of his $3.6 million fortune because their relationship had been based on an unwritten contract just as legitimate as a marriage certificate.

"Her lawyer, Marvin M. Mitchelson, argued that Ms. Triola Marvin had an oral agreement with Mr. Marvin that she would give up her career and devote herself to him full time, 'as a companion, homemaker, housekeeper and cook.' In return, Mr. Mitchelson argued, Mr. Marvin had agreed to provide all of Ms. Triola Marvin’s 'financial support and needs for the rest of her life.'

After what The New York Times called "a sensational three-month trial that featured Hollywood celebrities testifying in support of Mr. Marvin, a judge rejected Ms. Triola Marvin’s claim that the two shared any expressed or implicit contract. But in a small victory for her, the court ruled that she was entitled to $104,000 in 'rehabilitative' alimony, or palimony, a portmanteau of 'pal' and 'alimony.'"

The award was later overturned on appeal. Marvin died in 1987. Ms. Triola Marvin worked in a PR firm and entered into a relationship with actor Dick Van Dyke (who divorced his wife of 36 years in 1984) that lasted thirty years and ended with her death yesterday.

They didn't marry, either.