Annulment Lawyer in Maryland and Washington, DC
The lawyer at The Whiteru Firm, PLLC assists individuals obtain annulments in Maryland and Washington, DC. If you are seeking an annulment attorney or lawyer contact us at 202 558 6196 or info@whiteru-law.com.
An annulment or having a marriage annulled is the process of declaring a marriage invalid. An annulment is essentially a decree stating that a marriage never happened whereas a divorce is a decree stating that a valid marriage has ended. Annulments are rare and may be granted under the following circumstances in Maryland and the District of Columbia:
- Fraud regarding the failure to disclose a previous marriage;
- Fraud regarding the failure to disclose a criminal record;
- Fraud regarding the failure to disclose an infectious disease;
- Fraud regarding the failure to disclose the inability to have children;
- Fraud regarding the failure to disclose one’s desire not to have children;
- Marriage to a relative;
- Marriage to a person whose previous marriage has not been properly terminated;
- Mental incapacity;
- Where a marriage is the result of force and/or coercion; and
- Where one’s spouse is under the age of consent.
Annulments in Maryland and the District of Columbia are classified as either void or voidable. A void marriage does not need to be declared void by a court of law. One merely needs to provide evidence that the marriage should have never occurred. Filing an annulment in these circumstances would simply provide support that the marriage is void. The following marriages are void from the time they occur:
- A marriage involving close relatives such as siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, step-parents or cousins;
- A marriage where a person was previously married and has failed to properly terminate the previous marriage (death or decree of divorce)
A marriage is voidable where 1) the parties did not intend to marry; 2) either spouse was incapacitated (insanity or intoxication); 3) fraud; 4) duress; or 5) being under the age of consent. These types of annulments require a court order declaring that the marriage never happened.
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