Can this marriage be annulled?

Question

I was recently married. This was an arranged marriage. I'm from the U.S. with Indian ancestry and my wife is from India. There is a 15 year difference in our ages. I have a difficult time dealing with her because she seems so stupid. Some people told me that she could be retarded. So I bought her a jigsaw puzzle for ages 10 to adult. She could not figure it out. She tried putting the wrong pieces together forcefully. I took her to a large cookout. She spent all her time talking and playing with young children and avoided adult contact. She can't manage her money. She cries easily. She can not speak any language very clearly. She is not coordinated enough to ride a bicycle, use a can opener or a paper stapler. She refers to me as father or papa. How difficult would it be to have this marriage annulled and what steps should I do next. The marriage has never been consumated in 18 months. How can I keep my sanity in the meantime?

Answer 1

And you think SHE's stupid?

Answer 2

You don't say where you live. If you are in the US, every state has different laws. I would suggest talking with a lawyer and discussing whether you have legal grounds for an annulment.

Moral grounds is another matter. What would this girl do? Does she have family close by? You can't leave and abandon her if she cannot take care of herself. You didn't say how old she is. She is probably young and scared to marry a person from another country and culture who speaks a different langauge. If she has developmental disabilities, even more reason to be reasonable in getting her to a better situation. I think you need to talk to your family members who arranged your marriage and see what arrangements can be made for her. You did agree to an arranged marriage so you bear some responsibility if you are not wiling and able to make the best of the results.

My condolences on your unhappiness. This is not something which will be easily resolved. Be patient and work things out so that each of you can go your own way. Good luck.

Answer 3

Probably not under United States law:

Grounds for a marriage being voidable or void ab initio vary in different legal jurisdictions, but are typically limited to fraud, bigamy, and mental incompetence including the following:

1. Either spouse was already married to someone else at the time of the marriage;
2. Either spouse was too young to be married, or too young without required court or parental consent (unless, in some cases, where the marriage continued beyond the age of consent, which validates it);
3. Either spouse was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the marriage;
4. Either spouse was mentally incompetent at the time of the marriage;
5. If the consent to the marriage was based on fraud or force;
6. Either spouse was physically incapable to be married (typically, inability to have sexual intercourse which persists) at the time of the marriage;
7. The marriage is prohibited by law due to the relationship between the parties. This is the "prohibited degree of consanguinity", or blood relationship between the parties. The most common legal relationship is 2nd cousins; the legality of such relationship between 1st cousins varies around the world.
8. Prisoners sentenced to a term of life imprisonment may not marry.

The law in India is more complex, and it depends upon what religion the parties are. I am not qualified to comment on Indian law.

Answer 4

There's a lot of information in your question and a lot of judgmental answers, so I won't add to that, although I do not disagree with what others said. There are several grounds in an annulment and one is fraud in the inducement of the marriage. Only you know what you were told about her, so we can't help you there. A second ground for an annulment is that the marriage was never consumated. You can annull the marriage on that count in my state. However, family law is an area traditionally left to the states, not the federal government. You need an answer from an attorney in your own state. I was taught in law school that lack of consumation is grounds for annulment in all states, but that was many years ago so I hestitate to guess at your state's laws. The answer is probably yes, however.

Answer 5

god you sound like a winner yourself,. how about some compassion , you just brought a young women away from her country , her family and she cant speak english, and shes married to someone who acts like her father , you can get it annuled and i say the sooner the better , i dont think any marriage is gonna work for you , get over yourself , and learn some human compassion .

Answer 6

By the sounds of it, it doesn't sound like a legal marriage in the first place - she sounds like a child. Return her to her parents.

Answer 7

yes please get it annulled, I think she could do better.