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"Under what circumstances can I annul my marriage, rather than get a divorce?"

First, you have to understand whether you want a legal annulment, or a religious annulment.

Legal annulments (called a declaration of invalidity of marriage) may be granted only for a few very specific reasons: for example, you were so drunk when you married your spouse you were incapable of realizing what you were doing, or your spouse's father had a gun to your head at the altar and you had no choice but to say "I do." What's more, a request for a legal annulment must be filed within a very short time after your marriage. If you wait too long, you lose the chance to get your marriage annulled.

Religious annulments, on the other hand, have much different requirements. They may be easier or harder to get, depending upon your religion. To find out the requirements to get an annulment in your faith, you need to consult with the appropriate authorities in your church.

Karen A. Covy, J.D. is an attorney and family-law mediator in Chicago. She owns and operates Midwest Mediation as well as a successful family-law firm. This answer is an excerpt from When Happily Ever After Ends (2006), used by permission of its publisher, Sphinx Publishing, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. She can be reached at (312) 236-1670. View her Divorce Magazine profile.