My 16-year-old got married without my permission. What can I do?
Under Texas law, a court may annul a marriage if a party to the marriage was at least 16 years old but under 18 years old at the time of the marriage, and the underage party did not have parental consent or court-ordered permission to marry. The court has discretion in whether it will annul an underage marriage. In exercising its discretion, the court must consider the circumstances relevant to the parties – for example, whether the wife is pregnant.
A parent, guardian, individual with a court-ordered relationship, or individual acting as next of friend to the child may seek an annulment of the child’s marriage. Time is of the essence in filing such a petition for annulment whether the petitioner is the parent, guardian or next of friend. A parent or guardian will not be permitted to seek an annulment of the marriage once the child reaches the age of majority (18). An individual filing the suit as next of friend to the minor child must bring the suit within 90 days from the date of marriage, or such as suit is barred.
