Judicial ruling that voids a marriage based on its short term
Legally, the shortness of time can resemble a mutual mistake, thereby allowing the parties to rescind from the marriage contract.
Annulment is different from divorce in that a divorce ends a valid marriage. An annulment renders the marriage void as if it had never existed.
The Court may also annul the marriage because one of the parties was still married to someone else at the time of the wedding. Sometimes called a putative spouse.
Another reason for annulment is that there was no mutual consent to the marriage. For example, both parties were so impaired by alcohol or drugs there was no real consent to marry.
