“If I had known that, I never would have married you in the first place!”
What do you do when you wake up from the honeymoon only to discover that something is not right with your marriage? Every marriage experiences growing pains, and every newly married couple will quickly learn a few new things about each other.
In some cases, however, these little “surprises” may actually alter the relationship to the point that it must be dissolved. In any of the following cases, you may be able to request an annulment rather than a divorce in Maryland:
No More Secrets
A person who withholds pertinent information from his or her spouse is wrongly concealing information that may have affected the spouse’s decision to enter into the marriage. For example, if you’ve recently discovered that your spouse failed to tell you about a felony conviction, drug addiction, sexually transmitted disease, children from a previous marriage, or an inability to have children, you have a legal right to end the relationship through an annulment.
Not What It Seems
Similar to concealing vital information, one spouse may have actually lied about something that was crucial to the marriage relationship. One example of misrepresentation is when one spouse marries the other solely to gain access to a green card.
Underage Wedding
An annulment may be requested in any marriage where one spouse was under age 18 at the time of the marriage.
You’re Crazy!
In some cases, one person may be of unsound mind and therefore be unable to fully comprehend what is happening. This can include when one (or both) partners is drunk at the time the marriage is performed.
Made You Do It
A marriage that is forced upon one of the spouses may be annulled.
That’s Bigamy
Technically, bigamy is illegal anyway, so the marriage is automatically void before it even begins. However, there is also a provision here for people who were previously married and whose previous spouse has not been heard from for five years (may be presumed dead).
No ‘It’
If one spouse cannot physically consummate the relationship, that fact is a justifiable ground for an annulment.
In order to be granted an annulment, you must provide evidence that one or more of these situations exist in your marriage relationship. The laws regarding annulment in Maryland can be very complicated, so it’s important to enlist the aid of a skilled Maryland divorce lawyer. To request a free consultation, call 800-875-9700 today.