Legal Information Database-international lawyers-top lawyers-find lawyers

What is an annulment?
A. An annulment is a court ruling that a supposed marriage was never valid. The most common
ground for annulment is fraud or misrepresentation. For example, one person may have not
disclosed to the other a prior divorce, a criminal record, an infectious disease, an inability to
engage in sex or have children. Annulment may also be granted for bigamy, incest, or marriage
to an underage person.

How common are annulments?
A. They are uncommon because divorces are easy to obtain and the bases for an annulment are
narrower than the bases for a divorce. One party may prefer an annulment, however, in order to
avoid some obligations that a court might impose in a divorce. Also, in a few states, spousal
support that terminated because of the recipient's second marriage may be reinstated if the
second marriage is annulled.