What is an Annulment?

What to know about an annulment of marriage

Compared to Divorce, marriage Annulment is relatively rare in modern society. Still, it is the ideal option for reversing last-minute wedding decisions you might make while less-than-sober during your Las Vegas visit. Under Nevada law, you don’t have to be a resident of the State of Nevada to annul your marriage. You don’t even have to return to Nevada for hearings or other legal matters to have your case finalized. This means you can resume your normal life while leaving an ill-timed decision where it belongs—in the past.

Annulment Definition

An Annulment is an option for ending a marriage without entering formal Divorce proceedings. The timeframe for annulling, or nullifying, a marriage varies by state. In Nevada, you can undo the decision anytime, from the very next day to over a decade later, provided you have evidence that the marriage was never valid to begin with.

Legal Grounds for Annulment

The legal theory underlying Annulment is that the marriage was “void” or “voidable” from the start, meaning it never existed in the eyes of the law. Here are examples of why the court may grant an Annulment:

• Fraud: One party may lie about themselves or misrepresent the situation to induce the other party to get married. When this happens, the fraudulent marriage is considered invalid.
• Intoxication: If either or both parties are under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the marriage, an Annulment will be granted on the grounds of intoxication.
• Lack of consent or duress: Whether caused by mental illness, insanity, or the threat of violence, the inability to consent to a marriage—or fear of punishment if you don’t consent—are legal grounds for Annulment.
• Temporary insanity: If a period of madness affects a person’s reasoning skills, the law says they don’t have the legal capacity to marry.
• Impotency: The person seeking an Annulment must prove that the other party can’t consummate the marriage or have children, and that they did not discover this fact until after getting married.
• Underage marriage: For a marriage to be valid in Nevada, both parties must be at least 18 years old or have parental or court consent to marry underage. Otherwise, the marriage is subject to Annulment.
• Bigamy: One party may seek an Annulment if they learn that they married someone who was already married.
• Incest: All states prohibit marriages between close relatives, including parents and their children, brothers and sisters, uncles and nieces, aunts and nephews, and first cousins. Incestuous marriages can be nullified on these grounds.
• Mock marriage: A marriage entered into with no intent of it being binding is considered a mock marriage and subject to Annulment.

Contact an Annulment Attorney

Finding a qualified Annulment lawyer in Nevada is the fastest way to annul your marriage. For guidance on where to begin, reach out to Smith Legal Group. We have years of experience assisting wrongly married couples with ending their marriages quickly and affordably. Contact us online or call 702-410-5001 today to request your free Annulment consultation.