Marriages can end legally either by divorce or annulment. We’ve spent a lot of time talking about divorce, so we should point out the differences between the two. According to the Bremer Whyte Brown & O’Meara LLP, the first question to ask yourself is “what type of relationship must two people be in to either get divorced or obtain an annulment?” To prove grounds for annulment is not an easy task.
Annulment refers to a marriage that is declared “void” and one that never took place. While it’s true that both divorce and annulment exist, both are not available to all married couples. Some circumstances that would allow somebody to prove grounds for annulment are:
Underaged Marriage: to be married, both parties must be either be at least 18 years old, obtain parental consent from one parent, or obtain written consent via the court. When underaged and lacking this required consent, the marriage situation can be grounds for an annulment.
Bigamy: this is where either party was married to somebody else during the time of marriage and didn’t obtain a proper divorce or annulment.
Fraud: this is where if one party agreed to the marriage based on the other party’s lies and misrepresentations.
Incest: each state is different in the boundaries it sets for inter-familial marriages.
“By contrast, a judgment of dissolution (i.e., divorce) terminates a marriage that was valid when it was entered by either spouse, but on grounds that developed after its inception. ” On our divorce page, we break up grounds for divorce in Louisiana into fault-based divorce and no-fault divorce.
Regardless of your circumstances, many decisions need to be made that will impact everyone’s lives moving forward. Which is why it’s important to have a caring, compassionate, and knowledgeable attorney to guide you along the way. Give us a call today at 337-704-7255 and relax knowing we’re here to help.