Info about annullments please?

[PaxtonZ69]

Hi everyone! I need help please. I'm originally from the USA so I'm a little clueless as to how things work here.

 

Does anyone know about getting an annulment (may be spelt wrong) here? What are the rules and so on or where do I go to get more info about how to get one.

 

My new husband has divulged that he had sex with his sister (although step sister), his step brother and did some drugs without my knowledge. The brother and sister thing were two separate occasions, so it wasn't a threesome. Anyway, all this happened before we were married, but after we had already moved in together.

 

So I would like to look into getting my marriage annulled rather than getting divorced since everything in the house I brought along and we've only been married 4 months!!

 

I'm so angry about this, and feel that my answer to marrying him may have been different had I known this beforehand. However by not telling me, he knowingly did not give me the opportunity to decide for myself.

 

Anyway, any help someone can give would be appreciated! Thanks!

[moimeme]

Are you Catholic looking for a religious annulment? If so, call the nearest church.

[EnigmaXOXO]

It's nearly impossible to give accurate legal advice over the internet. Particularly when one is not familiar with the marital laws in your state. Some states won't grant annulments except under specific conditions and require that a couple go through the arduous process of a full divorce.

 

Search your local Yellow Pages or directory for divorce attorneys in your vicinity and place a call to make an appointment. You can ask up front what their initial consultation fee is and find one that can work within your budget. They should be able to give you all the information you need regarding your options.

 

BTW…it's my understanding that anything you owned prior to marriage or was given to you as a "gift" or inheritance is not considered "joint property." Only those things you purchased and/or acquired together as a married couple (house, insurance, joint bank accounts, etc.) would be taken into consideration.

 

Then again, I'm not sure if your state recognizes "common law" marriages. If so, the time you spent cohabitating prior to marriage might be taken into consideration. Not sure. That's something you'll also want to discuss with an attorney.

[PaxtonZ69]

Originally posted by moimeme

Are you Catholic looking for a religious annulment? If so, call the nearest church.

No moimeme, I am not Catholic. Thank you though.

 

 

 

 

Originally posted by EnigmaXOXO

It's nearly impossible to give accurate legal advice over the internet. Particularly when one is not familiar with the marital laws in your state. Some states won't grant annulments except under specific conditions and require that a couple go through the arduous process of a full divorce.

 

Search your local Yellow Pages or directory for divorce attorneys in your vicinity and place a call to make an appointment. You can ask up front what their initial consultation fee is and find one that can work within your budget. They should be able to give you all the information you need regarding your options.

 

BTW…it's my understanding that anything you owned prior to marriage or was given to you as a "gift" or inheritance is not considered "joint property." Only those things you purchased and/or acquired together as a married couple (house, insurance, joint bank accounts, etc.) would be taken into consideration.

 

Then again, I'm not sure if your state recognizes "common law" marriages. If so, the time you spent cohabitating prior to marriage might be taken into consideration. Not sure. That's something you'll also want to discuss with an attorney.

 

Thanks Engima. However I did forget to mention one thing. Although I am American, this particular marriage is South African. I moved here permanently about 2 years ago (beginning to wonder about that decision!) so this is a South African guy. I understand the stupid state thing - am a divorcee from North Carolina where the law in that state says that a couple must be legally separated for one year before a divorce can be granted!! Talk about a pain in the neck! Btw, thanks for the "gift"/"inheritance" information, very useful. All my stuff is American so I'd like to hang onto it since obviously I can't get a lot of it here.

 

So, still back to square one - where do I go to find out how to get an annullment here in South Africa?

[EnigmaXOXO]

Wow! You are far from home!

 

Maybe you can start here:

 

http://www.attorneys.co.za/ResultsPage.asp?sMode=C&Name=&RegionID=4&AreaID=11&SpecialtyID=-1&LanguageID=-1

[PaxtonZ69]

Thanks Engima. Yes, very far from home. I think I might actually end up going back, it's hard to make it here compared to there. I did check that link out, thanks again.