Serving Annulment Papers in New York

[SA.Barnum 0]

I had a traditional arranged marriage to someone who just wanted Green Card. He was emotionally and physically abusive. Now he is out of state and I would like to serve him with annulment papers.

I went to http://www.nycourts.gov/divorce/info_faqs.shtml, but it talks mostly about Divorce, and how a 3rd party over 18 years can serve Divorce papers to the other party.

Where can I find information on how to serve Annulment papers in New York State?

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

Why are you going for an annulment rather than a divorce? Assuming that you would be asking for the marriage to be annulled for fraud, the burden of proof for an action for fraud is actually quite high. It's whether a reasonable person (not just you) would have been deceived under the circumstances, and if it can be shown that you didn't act prudently in the circumstances, an annulment will not be given. Annulments are FAR more complicated than divorces, and generally aren't DIY matters (since you need to prove fraud). Proving the fraud isn't as simple as stating that you believe it to be fraud -- you're going to need corroborating evidence to convince the court. Divorces are far more straightforward, and New York is now a no-fault state when it comes to divorce.

If you are hell-bent on annulment, I can't see why service of process rules would be any different for annulment than they are for divorce, since both are forms of termination of marriage.

[Sirliner 26]

I agree with the maven, divorce would be a lot easier. Regardless, you need to find professional "process servers". I used one in my divorce when my ex-wife didn't want to be found. They did the job, which often requires patience and persistence. Here's a good place to start:

http://www.nysppsa.org

Edited July 13, 2014 by Sirliner