If you don’t want to admit your marriage ever happened, an annulment is the way to go. Unlike divorce, which recognizes there was a marriage, annulment wipes the slate clean.
In order to get an annulment, a couple must meet one of several legal conditions, such as one partner having another spouse, or one person being under 18 and not having parental consent to wed.
The grounds for annulment can vary state by state. In Nevada, couples can also get annulments if there is fraud (where one partner deceives the other about wanting children, their background, etc.) or if there was a “want of understanding,” meaning either of the parties was not of the right mind when the marriage took place, said Jennifer Abrams, an attorney in Las Vegas who specializes in annulment and divorce.
Spears’ petition for annulment claimed “want of understanding–claiming the singer and friend Jason Allan Alexander didn’t know how incompatible they were when they entered the marriage.
Intoxication also would qualify couples for “want of understanding,” Abrams said. Friends of Spears said the singer was not drunk when she got married.
Uncontested annulments are the easiest to get approved, Abrams said. Spears’ request, which was uncontested by Alexander, was approved about two hours after it was filed.
“If he’s agreeing with what she says, the judge isn’t going to question it,” Abrams said.
