Hollywood’s portrayal of inebriated couples rushing into a Las Vegas wedding chapel only to wake up and seek an annulment in movies like What Happens in Vegas has led to a lot of misinformation concerning what an annulment is, how a person gets an annulment, and the criteria for qualifying for an annulment.
A divorce is a legal end to a valid marriage contract. An annulment is different in that it is the legal cancellation or nullification of the marriage contract suggesting that the contract was invalid for a particular reason and that the marriage never legally existed.
Hiring a Salt Lake City Family Lawyer who can speak to you about the specifics of your situation can save you a lot of time, headache and even money. The laws that govern Utah Annulments are likely to be different than they are in other states; an experienced Salt Lake City Annulment Lawyer can listen to your unique situation and then explain whether or not you qualify for an annulment. Speaking to an attorney saves you the time, energy and even the money required to file for an annulment so that you don’t begin the process only to find out you don’t qualify for an annulment.
Some very common annulment questions are: “how long can a person be married before they have to get a divorce rather than an annulment” or “have I been married too long to get an annulment” and the truth is that there is not a time frame that governs the annulment process. It is true that getting an annulment is generally easier if you have been married for a short period of time but there is not a specific rule regarding the duration of the marriage. This is because of the specific reasons that qualify a person to receive an annulment.
Concealing a major fact from your spouse might create just cause for an annulment. If you were to find out after you entered into a marriage contract that your partner had a sexually transmitted disease, drug or alcohol dependency issue, a criminal record or if your partner was infertile, you may be able to petition the court for an annulment. Since it might be possible for one partner to conceal these types of issues for an extended period of time, there is no statute of limitations concerning annulments; each request for annulment in Utah is evaluated on its own merits.
If a person is guilty of misrepresenting themselves or committing fraud, you might qualify to get an annulment from that person. For example, if you were to find out that your spouse has children that he or she was not honest about prior to your marriage, then your spouse misrepresented themselves and that may be enough to receive an annulment. If your spouse was already legally married at the time of your marriage, you are likely to qualify for an annulment. If the person you marry claims to be of legal age to enter into a valid marriage contract but it turns out that he or she is not of proper age to do so, you would likely qualify for an annulment.
Being threatened to enter into a marriage contract or lacking the mental capacity to do so whether it is due to an illness, disability or even temporary inebriation can also be grounds for an annulment in Salt Lake City. Consent is an essential part of the marriage contract which means that if one or both parties entered into the contract without proper consent, a judge might grant an annulment.
Whether or not you qualify for an annulment may be confusing to you based on your specific situation. For this reason, we recommend that you take advantage of an initial consultation. Call and speak to an expert Salt Lake City Annulment Lawyer at Carr Law Utah today so that you can understand all of the options that might be available to you. You can reach our office by calling (801) 988-9400 or by emailing us. For additional information, you can also read our Salt Lake City Annulments page.