While a divorce ends a valid marriage through a process that restores the individual’s single status and gives them the ability to remarry, an annulment completely erases the marriage as if it never existed.
An annulment can be initiated by either party. The party that initiates the annulment must prove the grounds used in filing for the annulment. The factors used for declaring that a marriage is invalid include:
· Lack of parental or court approval
· One or both parties are under-aged
· Bigamy
· Related by blood
· One party lacked the capacity to consent to the marriage due to the influence of alcohol and/or
drugs or mental incapacity
· Was forced into the marriage by duress or fraud
· Etc.
If you are considering annulment, contact an experienced Orange County Divorce attorney who will have information about what procedures you need to follow and whether annulment is the way to proceed for your case.
