Termination of Marriage Flashcards
Annulment
a declaration that a marriage is invalid due to an impediment at the time of the marriage.
For what kind of marriages is an annulment an option?
marriages which are void or voidable.
When is a marriage void?
when the marriage fails to meet the requirements for marriage.
Who can argue that a marriage is void?
spouses or a third party.
How can a void marriage be remedied?
continued cohabitation after removal of the impediment.
When is a marriage voidable?
when an event or condition affects the adequacy of consent to a marriage contract. An impediment at the time of the marriage allows one of the parties to bring an action declaring the marriage void.
A voidable marriage is treated as valid until . . .
it is annulled.
Who can argue that a marriage is voidable?
only a spouse
How can a voidable marriage be remedied?
continued cohabitation after removal of the infirmity.
What are examples of a voidable marriage?
spouse is underage, incurable physical impotence, lack of capacity, fraud.
What is the effect of an annulment on children of that annulled marriage?
there is no effect. The children are still legitimate.
Can child support be paid by a spouse to an annulled marriage?
yes
Can spousal support be paid by a spouse to an annulled marriage?
yes
What happens to property when a marriage is annulled?
the property is treated as though the two people never married.
In order for a court to have jurisdiction over a couple wishing to get divorced, what must be present?
one of the spouses must be domiciled in the state where the court is sitting.
For a court to determine property and financial issues in a divorce, the court must have what?
personal jurisdiction over BOTH parties.
Can more than one state have personal jurisdiction over a divorce?
yes, and whichever comes to a conclusion first is determinative.
What are the two general categories of divorces?
no-fault divorces and fault divorces
What are the grounds for a no-fault divorce?
irreconcilable differences; living apart for a long enough time; incompatibility
What are the grounds for a fault divorce?
Adultery; desertion; cruelty; habitual drunkenness; and insanity.
For a showing of grounds for a fault divorce based on adultery, what must be shown?
the non-cheating spouse must show 1) opportunity; and 2) inclination.
Adultery is usually proved using ___________ evidence.
circumstantial.
What is the only real defense against a no-fault divorce action?
reconciliation between the parties.
What are the defenses against a fault divorce?
collusion; conivance (consent); condemnation (forgiveness); recrimination (unclean hands)
Collusion
the fraudulent simulation of grounds for divorce.
When will a couple be allowed to legally separate?
under the same grounds as of divorce.
In a legal separation, is the couple still married?
yes
Can property and child support issued by decided if a couple is merely separated?
yes
Where a couple is legally separated, property acquired by either spouse after the separation is . . .
separate property
In an equitable division of marital property, each spouse takes what?
each spouse takes their separate property and an *equitable share of the marriage property.