AceShowbiz - Thelma & Louise star Geena Davis has asked a judge to dismiss her estranged husband's divorce petition, insisting they were never legally married.

Dr. Reza Jarrahy, the actress' fourth husband, filed for divorce in May, but now Geena has presented paperwork suggesting the former couple's marriage license was never properly returned to the court clerk after a small, private ceremony in The Hamptons, New York 17 years ago.

Davis claims that under state law that means she and Reza did not legally tie the knot - and she insists that she and her estranged husband wanted it that way.

As part of her filing, the actress has included a letter signed by Jarrahy in 2009, in which he stated: "I am not currently married. Ms. Davis and I cohabitate and co-parent our three children but are not officially wed."

According to the court documents obtained by The Blast, Davis claims she and Reza "knowingly and voluntarily chose to have a marriage-like ceremony, fully aware that it was not legally binding", adding the couple had every opportunity to get a marriage license but chose not to.

She also maintains that she and her ex filed their taxes as single people, and "never had a joint checking or savings account, never had a joint retirement account", and never owned property together.

If she gets her way, Davis will walk away from the union with everything she brought into it, and Jarrahy won't be entitled to any spousal support, according to TMZ.

In his divorce petition, in which he cited irreconcilable differences for the split, the doctor requested spousal support and joint legal and physical custody of the pair's three children, Alizeh, 16, and 13-year-old twins Kaiis and Kian.

He insists the 2001 marriage ceremony was legal.

The actress was previously married to Richard Emmolo, Jeff Goldblum, and director Renny Harlin.