Actions to Determine Marriage Validity

Boston and New Bedford Divorce – Marriage Validity Actions

The law allows a person to file an action to determine the validity of his or her marriage.  (M.G.L.A. c. 207, § 14).  This section governs actions to nullify or affirm a marriage.  These actions are brought when one party is unsure whether a valid marriage exists; or when one party denies the existence of a valid marriage.

The law states that a valid marriage is achieved when two persons receive a marriage license, endure a waiting period, undergo a medical examination, and have a formal ceremony in which the parties express their intention to marry before witnesses and a person authorized by law to solemnize the marriage.

If an annulment is declared, it has the legal significance that no marriage ever existed.  Of course, if a person was married to another person when they married another person, or if two persons are too close in relation to each other, the marriage is void.

Section 14 indicates that actions to determine the validity of marriages must be brought in the same manner as divorce actions under M.G.L.A. c. 208.

For more information about void marriages and actions to determine the validity of marriage, please feel free to contact our law firm today by phone or by email.

Our firm serves all courts in Suffolk and Bristol County, including the Boston,  New Bedford, Fall River and Taunton courthouses.  The cities in Bristol County that we serve include Taunton, Westport, and Mansfield.  We also serve all courts in Plymouth County, including the cities of Marion and Rochester. We also serve Middlesex, Norfolk and Suffolk Counties.

Please call us today or email us at your convenience.