Annulments in Texas

This past year I had one consultation that I will not forget about soon. If you were not aware, the Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC, offers free of charge consultations to you or anyone else interested in learning more about a potential family law case. The talks are done at our office and are free of charge. Most people come in and ask questions about one specific area that they have questions about.

The unforgettable consultation that I was referencing in the opening paragraph to this blog post came in to discuss an annulment. I have never spoken with a person about an annulment before this individual consultation and have not talked with anyone about one since. However, it is not the subject alone that will cause this interaction to stick with me.

A young lady came in to speak to me about an annulment and did so with a man. The man is the person who I assumed she was coming in to discuss getting an annulment from.

After about one minute, it became apparent that this was not the case. She let me know that she had consumed one (or four) too many adult beverages the day prior with a female friend of hers and managed to find themselves at a municipal court building here in the Houston area. The next thing she knew, she and her friend had been legally married.

Call it an unintended consequence of the new laws regarding same-sex marriage or a reason to moderate your future alcohol-related activities. Still, this lady found herself needing a way to declare her marriage void. Is the scenario above one covered by our state’s laws on annulments? Let’s discuss that subject in today’s blog post from the Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC.

Annulment basics

If you are seeking to have your marriage annulled, then you would need to argue to a court that at no point was your marriage ever valid. This means that you would not be able to say that you acquired community property rights to any of the income or property of the other person involved in the annulment case. If you or the other party had a child born during the marriage that was annulled, that child’s parentage would have already been determined under state law. Legally speaking, you and the other people are that child’s mother and father.

Having a court approve an annulment

This part is more accessible said than done and is what I told the woman who came in to meet with me last year at the office. Suppose you are a person that cohabitated with another adult with whom you had a relationship, held yourself out to the community as being married, and agreed between each other to be married. In that case, you meet the requirements of common-law marriage. The critical point in all of this is to understand that while you may think that you have grounds to have a union declared void, it may be that you and the other person were living together as spouses for some time but did not know it.

Younger than 18

A person under the age of 18 needs permission from a parent to get married. A person under the age of 16 cannot get married under any circumstances in Texas, so in reality, we are discussing persons between the ages of 16 and 18 for this section.

If you, your parent, or your guardian seek an annulment based on the lack of parental approval, then there are grounds present for that annulment to be granted.

The annulment must be sought within 90 days of the marriage began. However, it is not an open and shut matter, as the judge can decide to allow the union to remain in place. If, for some reason, the judge determines that you or the other person in a marriage-like this would be harmed due to the marriage being annulled, then they may not declare the wedding to be void.

Impotence

Impotence is another way to declare a marriage void in Texas. If you or the other person in your annulment case were impotent when the marriage began, and the requesting spouse was unaware of the impotence,

then the marriage can be declared void. Keep in mind that if you are the party who seeks the annulment and continue to live in the same residence as the other party even after learning of their impotence, then the repeal does not have to be granted. So, where you live after finding out this information has a great deal of bearing on the ultimate determination you are seeking.

So far, then, our woman from the consultation has not been saved from her lack of judgment in getting married. Fortunately for her, there are a few more ways to declare a marriage void and grant an annulment in Texas, and we will discuss those in tomorrow’s blog post from the Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC.

Once we cover each of the ways to get an annulment, you will know whether or not I could give this potential client any peace of mind on this subject.

Questions on annulments in Texas? Contact the Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC, today.

If you have any questions about the material covered in today’s blog post, please do not hesitate to contact the Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC. The best way to learn more about any subject in Texas family law is to speak with a licensed family law attorney. Our office offers free of charge consultations six days a week in which your questions can be answered. One of our attorneys will meet with you in a pressure-free environment where your questions can be answered, and information about our office can be discussed.

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Other Articles you may be interested in:

1. Annulment Essentials for Texas Residents
2. 10 Facts You Never Knew About Texas Annulment
3. Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Texas Annulment
4. How an annulment is different than a divorce in Texas
5. Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Common Law Marriage and Divorce
6. Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Texas Marriage
7. Frequently Asked Questions in Texas Divorce Cases
8. 15 Myths About Divorce in Texas
9. 9 Questions to Ask Yourself and the Divorce Lawyer Before You Hire Them
10. Common Questions about Texas Prenuptial and Marital Agreements
11. Should I sign a Texas Premarital or Prenuptial Agreement?
12. My Fiancé wants me to sign a Texas Prenup. What should I do?
13. Making Postnuptial Agreements Stick in a Texas Divorce
14. Can I sue my spouse’s mistress in Texas?

Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC | Annulment, Texas Divorce Lawyers

The Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC, routinely handles matters that affect children and families. If you have questions regarding annulments, it’s essential to speak with one of our Houston, TX Annulment Lawyers right away to protect your rights.

Our Annulment lawyers in Houston, TX, are skilled at listening to your goals during this trying process and developing a strategy to meet those goals. Contact the Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC by calling (281) 810-9760 or submit your contact information in our online form. The Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC handles annulment cases in Houston, Texas, Cypress, Klein, Humble, Kingwood, Tomball, The Woodlands, the FM 1960 area, or surrounding areas, including Harris County, Montgomery County, Liberty County, Chambers County, Galveston County, Brazoria County, Fort Bend County, and Waller County.