Annulment

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On occasion, instead of getting divorced or legally separated, a party may seek to obtain an annulment. In California, annulments are legally referred to as “nullity of marriage” because “in the eyes of the law” when the proceeding is concluded it is as if the parties were never married.

Contrary to common belief a marriage does not automatically qualify for an “annulment” merely because the parties were married for a short time or perhaps because the parties never engaged in sexual relations. On the contrary, the law is very specific as to the grounds for annulment. Such grounds include but are not limited to the fact that a party was not old enough to get married, or, one of the parties who was getting married was still married at the time that he/she married the subject party. Other facts which commonly apply to this type of relief include circumstances where the consent to marry was obtained through fraud.

The attorneys at Cooper-Gordon LLP have handled many nullities and are available to discuss your facts with you to see if you qualify for a nullity and if so, whether obtaining that specific relief would be appropriate for you.