When we think of newlyweds, we typically imagine happy couples joyfully embarking on their marriage relationship. Unfortunately, for some spouses, the days, weeks, and months after the wedding are fraught with regret. If you got married and then realized that the marriage was a mistake, you may be eager to end the relationship. You may wonder whether you can get your marriage annulled. In Illinois, annulment is possible, but only under certain conditions. Married couples who do not meet the criteria for annulment must end their marriage through divorce.

Illinois Law Regarding Annulments

An annulment is referred to as a “Declaration of Invalidity of Marriage” in Illinois law. Annulments are often portrayed in pop culture as a shortcut to getting divorced. However, divorce and annulment are two completely different legal processes. Divorce ends a marriage. Annulment, on the other hand, declares that a marriage was never valid in the first place.

Your marriage may be annulled if at least one of the following are true:

Divorce is a distressing process that can have emotionally devastating consequences. Worse, it often comes on the heels of years of marital conflict. Understandably, divorcing spouses often feel lonely and are eager to begin dating once it becomes clear that their marriage has irreconcilably broken down. However, dating before your divorce is complete can have a negative effect on the outcome of your divorce. 

Your Finances Are Under Scrutiny

Flirting and making crude jokes with coworkers is unwise behavior for a number of reasons. Everybody has a different threshold for tolerating this behavior; what someone finds funny, someone else may find downright offensive, and what one person views as harmless flirtation may be perceived by someone else as unwanted harassment. Even a casual observer may object to behavior or language they see or overhear. 

Workplaces are staffed by adults who are complex and imperfect. Many people have casual, flirtatious friendships with coworkers that, while they may be ill-advised, do not cross into the domain of sexual harassment. Yet workplace sexual harassment is common, and it is illegal. It causes negative consequences for victims and can interfere with a victim’s ability to do his or her job. So how do you know if flirting has crossed a line? And if it has, what can you do about it? 

Know The Definition of Sexual Harassment

Illinois and federal law provide definitions of what is legally considered sexual harassment. Sexual harassment is a type of illegal employment discrimination based on physical or verbal abuse, specifically of a sexual nature. Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act prohibits two specific categories of sexual harassment:

Although most couples in Illinois typically engage in the divorce process together, in some high-conflict divorces, one spouse will refuse to cooperate in the divorce proceedings. Your spouse may become nonresponsive, refuse to negotiate, or refuse to sign divorce papers. This may be in an attempt to control you, get revenge, or even avoid legal consequences due to previous criminal behavior. Whatever the reasons, a non-cooperative spouse can derail the divorce proceedings and make your life very difficult. 

Only One Party Has to Sign Divorce Papers

Fortunately, you have legal recourse to complete the divorce process, even if your spouse is noncooperative. A common misconception about Illinois divorces is that both parties need to sign the divorce papers in order to finalize the divorce, but this is not true. 

You must make sure your spouse knows about the divorce filing, and then your spouse will have 30 days to respond. If they do not respond to the divorce filing, or file any motions of their own, the court can issue a Default Judgment. Notification of the pending default judgment must then be sent to your spouse. 

Bill Cosby, 83, was released from prison on Wednesday. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court said that the district attorney who prosecuted Cosby was bound by his predecessor’s promise not to bring charges against former actor and comedian. Cosby, who had been accused by around 60 women of various types of sexual misconduct, served three years of his 3-10 year prison sentence for the drugging and violating of Andrea Constand in 2004. 

Many of the other accusations against Cosby are alleged to have occurred during work-related events, such as auditions or in the green room before television interviews. When such behavior occurs in a work-related setting or between people who work together, the behavior could potentially constitute sexual harassment as well as criminal sexual misconduct. Under federal law, sexual harassment is a form of workplace discrimination, and it is actionable in civil court, even if the behavior is not technically a “crime.”