Reese Witherspoon's parents in bigamy dispute in Tennessee

Actress Reese Witherspoon's mother Mary Elizabeth Witherspoon, known as "Betty," has filed a petition of annulment in a Nashville, Tenn. court in hopes of wiping out her husband John Drake Witherspoon's recent second marriage to Tricianne Taylor, for fear that Taylor is taking advantage of his mental state, reports the AP.

Betty and John have been separated since 1996 but remain legally married and in fact recently attended daughter Reese's wedding together. Betty's filing alleges that Taylor has tried to take out loans as Mrs. John Witherspoon, has had him sign a new will and drives a vehicle without permission from a family corporation run by Reese.

The filing says that Betty loves her husband and does not want a divorce. It also says she fears he's suffering from early onset dementia and that she found out about his recent second marriage from a wedding announcement that appeared in newspaper The Tennessean. Betty says when she confronted John about it, he said he didn't recall marrying Taylor.

Betty says she moved out from living with her husband more than 15 years ago because of his "alcoholism, infidelity, overspending and hoarding." But she is asking for an annulment of the marriage to Taylor, along with ordering Taylor to leave all their family residences, return all possessions she has acquired as a result of the marriage and to pay the court costs of this lawsuit.