Q: Concerned about potential dual marriage; can't find annulment records in Florida.
I got legally married in Aiken County, South Carolina, on September 11, 2024, to my current wife. Several years ago, I was married and obtained an annulment in Nassau County, Florida. However, I'm unable to find any records of the annulment, only our marriage license. Now, my ex-wife is asking for annulment or divorce papers to change her last name, and I'm concerned that I might be mistakenly married to two women. I've not been able to retrieve the annulment records from the Nassau County Clerk of Court, and I didn't hire an attorney for the annulment. There was a witness, but no records are available. What should I do to confirm my marital status and resolve this issue?
A: It sounds like you need to get someone to go to the Nassau County clerk of court to look for your court records. Hopefully you can provide the month and year of your annulment. Good luck.
Charles M. Baron agrees with this answer
A: First, your ex wouldn't need that document to change her last name UNLESS the annulment order itself changed her name - in which case it's already changed. If the order didn't change her name, she needs to petition the court (in a new case) for a name change. Secondly, if you had a court order, the Clerk of Court must still have the file - maybe unless it was decades ago, but even then, there should be an electronic record of at least the order. When you got the annulment, did you in fact physically go into a courtroom or Judge's chambers to go before a Circuit Court Judge (likely wearing a robe) who heard your basis for the annulment and told you he/she was entering an order (which you would have received a copy of, along with another copy being sent to your ex)? If that's not what occured, you may have been a scam victim.
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