Maine Marriage Laws § 19-A:752Annulment of illegal marriages

1. Complaint; court order. When the validity of a marriage is doubted, either party may file a complaint for annulment. The court shall order the marriage annulled or affirmed according to the evidence. The court's order does not affect the rights of the defendant unless the defendant was actually notified of the action or answered the complaint. [PL 1995, c. 694, Pt. B, §2 (NEW); PL 1995, c. 694, Pt. E, §2 (AFF).] 2. Parental rights and responsibilities. The court entering an order for annulment may make an order awarding parental rights and responsibilities with respect to a minor child of the parties in accordance with chapter 55. [PL 1995, c. 694, Pt. B, §2 (NEW); PL 1995, c. 694, Pt. E, §2 (AFF).] 3. Name change. Upon the request of either spouse to change that person's own name, the court, when entering judgment for annulment: A. Shall change the name of that spouse to a former name requested; or [PL 1995, c. 694, Pt. B, §2 (NEW); PL 1995, c. 694, Pt. E, §2 (AFF).] B. May change the name of that spouse to any other name requested. [PL 1995, c. 694, Pt. B, §2 (NEW); PL 1995, c. 694, Pt. E, §2 (AFF).] [PL 1995, c. 694, Pt. B, §2 (NEW); PL 1995, c. 694, Pt. E, §2 (AFF).] 4. Finalization. The trial court may, upon motion for entry of final judgment during the pendency of the appeal period, grant a final judgment of annulment between the parties if the court expressly finds that there is not just cause for delay and entry of judgment will not prejudice the legal or equitable rights of a party during the pendency of an appeal. The filing of a motion under this subsection does not stay an award of child or spousal support or parental rights and responsibilities, except by order of the court under the Maine Rules of Civil Procedure. [PL 1995, c. 694, Pt. B, §2 (NEW); PL 1995, c. 694, Pt. E, §2 (AFF).] 5. Annulment because of prior marriage. When a marriage is annulled due to a prior marriage, and the party who was capable of contracting the 2nd marriage contracted the 2nd marriage in good faith, believing that the prior spouse was dead, the former marriage was void or a divorce had been decreed leaving the party to the former marriage free to marry again, that fact must be stated in the decree of nullity. [PL 1995, c. 694, Pt. B, §2 (NEW); PL 1995, c. 694, Pt. E, §2 (AFF).]

PL 1995, c. 694, §B2 (NEW). PL 1995, c. 694, §E2 (AFF).

Back to Maine Marriage Laws