Annulment Lawyer in Arkansas
What is an Annulment?
An annulment, unlike a divorce, is a legal decree that states that a marriage was never valid; this means the effect of an annulment is to void the marriage as if it never legally occurred. The length of time married is generally not a determining factor when requesting an annulment, although regret alone, in most cases, is not sufficient grounds to be considered eligible for an annulment.
What Makes Me Eligible for an Annulment?
There are many reasons you may be looking to get an annulment, but whether you are eligible may depend on many factors. The most common reasons for granting an annulment include:
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Fraud or Coercion - consent to the marriage was from one party was obtained by coercion or fraud.
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Citizenship - one person married the other solely to obtain a green card or citizenship or one person misrepresented a prenuptial promise to becoming a citizen of the United States.
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Sexual Relations- one person misrepresented their willingness to consummate or conceive children before the marriage. Other reasons could include false claims of pregnancy before marriage, the wife concealing the fact that she is pregnant by another man at the time of the marriage, or concealing the fact that either party was homosexual.
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Character / honesty - one person concealed the fact that he or she had a criminal record or had physically abused a prior partner; other reasons include being forced into the marriage by threat, duress, or intimidation and would not have entered except for the other party’s conduct.
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Health - one person concealed that he or she was not in good health or had a disease, mental illness, or suffers from drug, alcohol, or gambling addictions.
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Financial - one person misrepresented their intentions and married another solely to obtain the other party’s wealth, money, or property; or misrepresenting the terms of a prenuptial agreement to reimburse lost alimony because of remarriage.
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Religion - one party concealed that he or she would not fulfill a prenuptial promise to having a religious marriage ceremony before a civil marriage ceremony; one person concealed his or her religious conviction or acceptance of other’s religion, or one person concealed a prior divorce, and the other party is a Roman Catholic.
Arkansas laws also include legal age to consent, mental inability to consent, and being physically capable to consent as grounds for an annulment. If you are lacking grounds for an annulment, then you may decide to petition for a divorce instead.