Jacksonville Divorce Lawyer Blog
Written by Whitney R. Lonker, Wood, Atter & Wolf, P.A.
wlonker@woodatter.com
When parties divorce in Florida, the court orders that the marriage contract is broken. In an annulment action, the courts declare that the marriage never was. To obtain an annulment in Florida, it is much more difficult than obtaining a dissolution of marriage, and it occurs less frequently than dissolutions. However, if you require an annulment for religious reasons, you need to contact your rabbi, priest or minister as well as an attorney to complete the process. Certain grounds must be proven to the courts to obtain an annulment. An annulment cannot be obtained based on the fact that the marriage was short. The courts require more. The certain grounds that can be alleged in an annulment action are: 1) that a party did not know what he/she was doing when they got married due to intoxication, mental incapacity, etc. 2) that the marriage was illegal such as in Florida you cannot marry certain members of your family 3) that there was fraud involved in the marriage that goes to the substance of the marriage. If you think you may qualify for an annulment instead of a divorce, or you require an annulment for religious reasons, please contact our firm for expert advice on the dissolution or annulment process in Florida.