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Annulment Proceedings

Annulment is different from divorce because, in annulment, the marriage will be entirely nullified by the court as if the marriage never existed between the parties. Annulment thus will enable the parties to marry again. Annulment proceedings are restricted to the proof of certain grounds like fraud, insanity, cruelty, or insanity.

Permanent Counsel Fees

A divorce decree can facilitate an enforcement order, establish rights for both the parties, award custody and enable visitation rights, grant alimony, and distribute property between the parties. Considering the nature of divorce cases and the work involved in obtaining divorce, legal fees often differ from case to case. The fees can differ from city to city, state to state, and law firm to law firm. Preliminary meetings with counsel usually do not involve laborious effort, and usually amount to sorting the factual details. Courts take consideration of the parties' ability to pay counsel fees before awarding fees. Despite the diversity in statutes, courts apply general principles and carefully analyze the parties' financial status before awarding costs.

Uncontested Divorce Actions

In general, uncontested divorce actions occur when either of the spouses does not appear in court in a divorce proceeding or when both the spouses mutually agree upon a divorce and on matters relating to financial settlements, custody, and/or support of their minor children. Typically, that mutual agreement is shown in the divorce petition, and it may include a waiver of service. Uncontested actions may arise in proceedings for dissolution of marriage, annulment, and separation.

Impotence as Grounds for Annulment of Marriage

In some states, impotency can be grounds for annulment. If a spouse is physically impotent and the other spouse was unaware of the impotency prior to the marriage, the marriage can be voidable in some states. If a marriage was never consummated, this can constitute viable grounds for annulment. Impotency occurring after marriage is generally not in itself ground for annulment.