You Can’t Stop Your Ex-Wife From Using Your Name After Divorce

A High Court judge, Justice Alexander Osei Tutu, has ruled that a man cannot prevent his ex-partner from using his surname.

The judge made the assertion on JoyNews’ The Law, stating that no one owns a name according to the principles of the constitution and therefore one is allowed to use any name one chooses.

“Under the law, no one has the right to have a name. So when a woman gets married, she adopts her husband’s name and the marriage is dissolved. The man has no right to tell the woman to change her previous name,” he told the host, as they discussed the evolving legal issues.

To clarify this assertion, Justice Alexander Osei Tutu referred to a case in England where a member of the royal family sued his ex-wife for using his name on the grounds that she was taking unfair advantage of it.

The court then ruled that “no one has the right to a name. So even after a divorce, my listeners should know that one person cannot ask the other to change their name,” he added.

SS/ADG