Section 140. Action for judgment declaring nullity of void marriages or annulling voidable marriage  


Latest version.
  • (a)   Former husband or wife  living.    An
      action  to  declare  the nullity of a void marriage upon the ground that
      the former husband or wife of one of the parties was living, the  former
      marriage  being  in  force,  may  be maintained by either of the parties
      during the life-time of the other, or by the former husband or wife.
        (b)  Party under age of consent.  An action to annul a marriage on the
      ground that one or both of the parties had not attained the age of legal
      consent may be maintained by the infant, or  by  either  parent  of  the
      infant,  or  by  the  guardian  of the infant's person; or the court may
      allow the action to be maintained by any person as the  next  friend  of
      the infant.  But a marriage shall not be annulled under this subdivision
      at  the  suit of a party who was of the age of legal consent when it was
      contracted, or by a party who for any time after he or she attained that
      age freely cohabited with the other party as husband or wife.
        (c)  Party a mentally retarded person or  mentally  ill  person.    An
      action to annul a marriage on the ground that one of the parties thereto
      was  a mentally retarded person may be maintained at any time during the
      life-time of either party by any relative of a mentally retarded person,
      who has an interest to avoid  the  marriage.    An  action  to  annul  a
      marriage  on  the  ground that one of the parties thereto was a mentally
      ill person may be maintained at any time during the continuance  of  the
      mental  illness,  or, after the death of the mentally ill person in that
      condition, and during the life of the other party to  the  marriage,  by
      any relative of the mentally ill person who has an interest to avoid the
      marriage.    Such  an  action may also be maintained by the mentally ill
      person at any time after restoration to a sound mind; but in that  case,
      the  marriage  should  not  be  annulled  if it appears that the parties
      freely cohabited as husband and wife after the mentally ill  person  was
      restored  to a sound mind.  Where one of the parties to a marriage was a
      mentally ill person at the time of the marriage, an action may  also  be
      maintained  by the other party at any time during the continuance of the
      mental illness, provided the  plaintiff  did  not  know  of  the  mental
      illness  at the time of the marriage.  Where no relative of the mentally
      retarded person or mentally ill person brings an  action  to  annul  the
      marriage  and the mentally ill person is not restored to sound mind, the
      court may allow an action for that purpose to be maintained at any  time
      during  the life-time of both the parties to the marriage, by any person
      as the next friend of the  mentally  retarded  person  or  mentally  ill
      person.
        (d)  Physical incapacity.  An action to annul a marriage on the ground
      that  one  of  the parties was physically incapable of entering into the
      marriage state may be maintained by the injured party against the  party
      whose  incapacity is alleged; or such an action may be maintained by the
      party who was incapable against the other party, provided the  incapable
      party was unaware of the incapacity at the time of marriage, or if aware
      of  such  incapacity, did not know it was incurable.  Such an action can
      be maintained only where an incapacity continues and is  incurable,  and
      must be commenced before five years have expired since the marriage.
        (e)  Consent by force, duress or fraud.  An action to annul a marriage
      on  the  ground  that  the  consent  of  one  of the parties thereto was
      obtained by force or duress may be maintained at any time by  the  party
      whose  consent  was  so obtained.   An action to annul a marriage on the
      ground that the consent of one of the parties thereto  was  obtained  by
      fraud  may  be  maintained  by  the  party whose consent was so obtained
      within the limitations of time for enforcing a civil remedy of the civil
      practice law and rules.  Any such action may also be  maintained  during
      the  life-time  of the other party by the parent, or the guardian of the
    
      person of the party whose consent was so obtained, or by any relative of
      that party who has an interest to avoid the marriage, provided  that  in
      an  action  to  annul  a  marriage on the ground of fraud the limitation
      prescribed  in  the  civil  practice  law and rules has not run.   But a
      marriage shall not be annulled on the ground of force or  duress  if  it
      appears  that,  at  any  time before the commencement of the action, the
      parties thereto voluntarily cohabited as husband and  wife;  or  on  the
      ground of fraud, if it appears that, at any time before the commencement
      thereof,  the parties voluntarily cohabited as  husband and wife, with a
      full knowledge of the facts constituting the fraud.
        (f)  Incurable mental illness for five years.   An action to  annul  a
      marriage  upon  the  ground  that  one of the parties has been incurably
      mentally ill for a period of five years or more may be maintained by  or
      on behalf of either of the parties to such marriage.