What Are The Grounds To Annul A Marriage In California?

There are widespread misperceptions about a marriage annulment in the state of California. The reason for this is many popular cultural beliefs and religion has managed to throw inaccurate and differing views on annulments, especially with respect to the family law. There is a similarity between a divorce and an annulment in a way since both of them determine a couple’s marital status. However, there is a big difference between these two. While a divorce ends a valid and an existing marriage, an annulment declares that though everybody thought there was a marriage, it never existed in the first place. As far as the courts are concerned, a marriage that is annulled never existed at all.

Grounds under which a spouse can request to annul the marriage

In the State of California, there are a number of reasons or grounds on which the court could grant a request for a marriage annulment. Read on to know more about them.

1. One of the spouses was married prior to entering into a second marriage. It is referred to as bigamy in legal terms.
2. The couple has a blood relationship.
3. The spouse who has filed for the annulment was below 18 years of age when the marriage took place.
4. One of the spouses has committed a fraud for procuring the consent of the other party to the marriage. The fraud should have a strong correlation with the marriage. An example of this is when one party convinces the other to get married as the former had a secret desire of staying back in America.
5. One of the spouses compelled the other party to get married.
6. One party suffers from an incurable physical capacity. Ideally, the term is associated with male impotence, which does not allow the couple to have a physical relationship.
7. When both the spouses and either of them is of an unsound mind. It refers to a condition, which stops the couple in question to appreciate and understand the marriage duties and nature like under the influence of severe intoxication.

The spouse requesting an annulment needs to provide evidence before the court that any of the reasons mentioned above was present when the marriage took place. However, if the burden is dissatisfied, the court may not grant the marriage annulment.

How to get an order from the court on marriage annulment?

The process for getting an annulment is not much different from obtaining a divorce. The court system of California has laid down a comprehensive set of instructions for requesting and opposing a marriage annulment. The California court system has specified a deadline called statute of limitations. It establishes the time limit within which an annulment may be filed. The reason for which an annulment is filed determines this deadline. It is always recommended to hire a good Orange County divorce attorney to help you out in such a case.

Getting divorced in California can be complicated!  Download our free eBook, 18 Important Things to Know About California Divorce to educate yourself on the process.  

Gerald A. Maggio is an experienced Orange County divorce and family law attorney and family law attorney located in Irvine, California, serving the Orange County and Riverside areas. Mr. Maggio assists clients with legal issues including divorce, legal separation, divorce mediation, child custody, prenuptial agreements, stepparent adoptions, and other family law issues. Mr. Maggio has practiced law in California since 1999, and founded The Maggio Law Firm in 2005, focusing exclusively on divorce and family law matters.