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Can I get an annulment after 7 years of marriage?

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Sunrey

Junior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? I live in New Hampshire and was married in NH. My husband abandoned our marriage and home in July '08 and I lost my job two days later. I have had to file for bankruptcy and will lose my home to foreclosure. We have no children together and I have not had the time to do a pro se divorce d/t dealing bankruptcy and caring for someone with terminal cancer.

When we got married I knew had been married before and had one biological son with her. I got friendly with his ex-wife and she also had an older son that my husband adopted when he was 6 years old. He always called his adopted son his first born son. He told me his ex wife was his first wife and stated on our marriage license that our marriage would be his second marriage.

I have found out in the last two days that he was married when he was serving in the Army in Germany back in the 80's and his wife had a child that he claimed wasn't his. He even brought her stateside with him when he was on leave. ( I was told that he never came home during his years in Germany) His ex-wife ihere in the States stated that when they got married he had to provide proof of his divorce from his German wife to the church. He gave the minister "something" but the minister didn't like the looks of it but because it was so hard to get information from Germany he decided to go forward with the marriage.

So #1 I don't know if he is even divorced from his German wife I never heard of or if our marriage was even legal or if the child she had was his.

Then I found out that he had a girlfriend when he was 17 that he had a daughter with. He lived with her for a period of time and then just abandoned both of them because he didn't like his girlfriend. It turns out this daughter and her mother live in the area and his daughter has two children of her own and he is a grandfather!! ( His biological son was only 4 years old when I met him and he is now 13. He has always been referred to as his ONLY child.) Everyone in his family knew all of this. His ex-wife knew all of this, his closest friend knew all of this and I was NEVER told. He told them I KNEW everything.

I was also told that he has a long criminal record that I was never told about.

This man had everyone in my family charmed. He has lied about so many things that my head is spinning. I feel like I am in a bad dream.

Do I qualify for an annulment? I would just as soon make this marriage null and void than to ever have to claim him as a former husband. What can I do? I have no hard paperwork and don't know how to get it.

Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated.

Sunrey in New Hampshire
 


xylene

Senior Member
You have grounds for a divorce.

You do not appear to have ground for an annulment, but you may depending on the status of his german marriage. You need more than a hunch / priests intuition for that.
 

Zigner

Senior Member, Non-Attorney
Get a divorce - it's easier and probably cheaper.

Based on your post alone, you don't seem to qualify for an annulment.

ETA: Yeah, what Xylene said ;)
 

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