San Diego Divorce Attorneys Blog
How to Respond to A Petition for an Annulment
If you have been served by your spouse with a petition for an annulment, you are likely wondering exactly what this means and how you should respond appropriately. Compared to a petition for divorce, in which you request the court to dissolve a legally valid marriage, a petition for annulment asks the court to declare that the marriage was never valid in the first place. If the court approves this position, it will completely erase your marriage from the California state record, making it virtually nonexistent in the eyes of the law.
Whenever an individual is involved in any type of legal case, honesty is absolutely essential even when it comes at a detriment to one’s own personal interests. Unfortunately, in many divorce cases in San Diego and throughout California, divorcing spouses attempt to hide assets, make false statements, obfuscate evidence, and otherwise interfere with their divorce proceedings for personal gain. When this occurs, the other spouse must know their legal options and take appropriate action.
The vast majority of divorce cases filed throughout the United States unfold along relatively tame lines compared to many media portrayals of divorce. However, in rare cases, divorces are hotly contested by one or both parties, and the emotional side of a divorce can have far more influence on the legal side than it should. When emotions prevent rationality in divorce proceedings, everyone ultimately loses. Heated arguments and unwillingness to compromise increase the time, expense, and stress required to end the marriage.
Ending a marriage is rarely a simple or easy endeavor, but there is more than one way to handle this type of matter. While many people believe that divorces end with heated court battles, this is actually only true for a small fraction of the divorce cases that unfold in California and throughout the United States. Every marriage is different; therefore, every divorce case is different, so it is vital to seek guidance for your unique situation with an experienced San Diego divorce attorney to determine the best approach to your own divorce.