A Look at Annulments

We hear about annulments all the time in the media because of celebrities or wealthy people getting married for the wrong reasons. They can also be the result of being spontaneous as with numerous cases that happen in Las Vegas due to wedding chapels being open 24/7. After a night of partying and/or gambling, people seem to think getting married is a great way to cap off their trip to Sin City. It’s all smiles and excitement until the next morning when the couple realizing what happened and then the panic sets in. The next trip is to a lawyer’s office to start the paperwork for an annulment. What exactly is an annulment? It’s a legal decree from a judge stating the marriage was invalid. It’s as if it never happened. It is similar to a divorce in that a court can dissolve the marriage as well as rule on a number of issues, including child support and child custody. However, divorce means the marriage was valid.

There are a number of reasons for getting an annulment:

1. Underage – One or both parties are underage (e.g. age 18) at the time of the marriage.
2. Unsound Mind – Unsound means that one or both parties are under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the ceremony. The spouse(s) under the influence lacked the mental capacity to consent to the marriage.
3. Bigamy — You cannot be married to another person at the time of the marriage.
4. Fraud or Misrepresentation — This is declared when a spouse hides a fact from the other spouse prior to the marriage (e.g. a large debt). It’s important to note that a spouse cannot get an annulment if the fact (fraud) was known by both parties before the marriage.
5. No Consummation of Marriage — When one spouse cannot physically have sex with the other spouse and did not disclose this prior to the marriage.
6. Catholic Church — If a divorced person wants to be married in a Catholic church, the first marriage must be annulled.

Some of the most famous annulments include Britney Spears and Jason Alexander; Carmen Electra and Dennis Rodman; and Renee Zellweger and Kenny Chesney. Britney and Jason were married in Las Vegas and the marriage lasted 55 hours. Britney’s lawyers claimed that she “lacked understanding of her actions to the extent that she was incapable of agreeing to the marriage.” Carmen and Dennis were also married in a Las Vegas chapel. Their marriage lasted a little longer than Britney’s — 9 days. Also, Renee and Kenny’s marriage was annulled because Renee claimed fraud. Although Renee has not given the reason for the annulment, Kenny told Oprah that the marriage failed because he “panicked.”

Originally published at theresakellington.com on August 22, 2019.