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Divorcing In Orange County? Have You Considered Seeking Annulment
By Jon Alexander | November 18, 2008
In California, termination of marital status typical occurs in one of three ways.
(1) Marital Dissolution; (2) Nullity; or (3) Legal Separation.
Is nullity an appropriate remedy for you? Maybe, but this option is only appropriate where the validity of the marriage is not clear. The difference between martial dissolution and annulmnet is that the remedies rely on conflicting assumptions.
A nullity is pursued because the petitioner (one who files the action) believes that no valid marriage ever existed and their seeking to prove this theory. A marital dissolution, rather, merely terminates an otherwise valid marriage.
So, in effect, a nullity action seeks to answer a question. Was there a valid marriage? The court is tasked with finding an answer.
So is your marriage valid? A marriage may be invalid from the beginning because of irregularities in the statutory formalization procedures, which are ordinarily obtaining the license, solemnization and authentication. However, it also may be void or voidable because of other legal imperfections including but not limited to incest, bigamy, inducement by fraud or force, or where a party or both parties are under the age of consent at the time of the marriage.
Even if a nullity is an option keep in mind that there are some disadvantages of a nullity proceeding, including but not limited to the following. Proving grounds for a judgment of nullity are likely to be more difficult and costly to prove. The party seeking a judgment of nullity may also have to overcome statutes of limitations hurdles. Fault play no role in a marriage dissolution proceeding. In a nullity proceeding, however, issues of innocence or fault are very important for questions of support and an attorney fees and costs award, as well as determining marital (quasi-marital) property rights.
Parties to an invalid marriage do not have community property rights. Rather, the property acquired during void or voidable marriage that would have otherwise been community property is deemed quasi-community property. And it divided up in much the same way as community property. But, and this is an important but. Property is deemed Quasi-community property only when Putative Spouse status is proved. This means that the spouse asserting that the property be deemed Quasi-Community Property must prove that he/she was innocent and that he/she had a good faith belief that the marriage was valid.
While these disadvantages are real and perhaps of overriding concern, there are many benefits of a nullity as well. If you are interested in learning of the benefits, please visit my site linked below. And please fill out a case questionnaire or join my mailing list for more free reports like this one. Thank you. Visit my site today!
Topics: Divorce |
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