10 years separated and still not settled?! Come on MD. Where's your cynical head?
Ask him if it's cool if you phone his wife to check they're separated.
Absolutely, if they are separated there should be no issues. If he kicks up a fuss or spins a yarn about legal crap or it not being the right time ect. With no real understanding for your need to confirm this then I would be heading for the door. Sometimes using hooker brain is useful in civvy life too but it is really difficult, I've done it and it's not nice but it makes you realise what situation you are in and how you wouldn't stand for it if it was a work situation.
Feels cold having to use a screening process for the people you care about and I know life is more complicated than work (could be argued!) but it gives you another perspective to look from.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that if we make a stranger go through hoops to convince us they are not a time waster or, dangerous and are suitable to take our time for even just a half an hour I would be doing so much more for someone I want to potentially spend the rest of my life with. Just my opinion of course, we let the little things go but I don't think it's such a crazy idea!