Book Opener

Ending a Marriagel How to describe anannulment, a legalseparation, and adivorcel How to list the generalgrounds for anannulmentl How to contrast alegal separation with adivorcel How to name anddescribe the mostcommon grounds fordivorcel How to distinguishbetween one’sresidence and one’sdomicile and discusswhat this means in adivorce proceedingLearning about divorcelaws will help you betterdeal with the processshould you ever beinvolved in a divorce.How Marriages EndA marriage comes to an end in one of three ways: the death of oneof the parties, annulment, or divorce. An annulment is a declarationby the court that the marriage was never effective; it was void from thebeginning. Although the laws vary from state to state, marriages generallycan be annulled on the grounds of duress and fraud. When someoneis forced to marry against his or her will, it is considered duress.When a person is persuaded to marry by misrepresentation, it is fraud.Some common examples of fraud that are grounds for annulmentinclude being below the state age to marry, secretly intending never tohave children, or concealing pregnancy by someone other than thehusband.Legal Separation and DivorceA legal separation , also called a limited divorce or a separationfrom bed and board, is a court judgment ending the right to cohabitation.In making a separation judgment, the court will temporarily decidethe issues of child custody andsupport, but you and your spouseremain married until there is anabsolute (final) divorce.In contrast, a divorce (calleddissolution of marriage in somestates) is a declaration by the courtthat a valid marriage has come toan end.l annulmentl legal separationl divorcel no-fault divorcel adulteryl desertionl domicilel residenceBECOMING DIVORCEDNearly half of marriagestoday eventually end indivorce. Why do you thinkthis is so?694 Unit 7: Planning for the Future