Lac Courte Oreilles Law Library
Lac Courte Oreilles Tribal Code of Law.

DMR.2.2.050 Grounds for Annulment or Voidable Marriage

(a) A marriage may be voided or annulled by the Tribal Court for any one of the following reasons upon the application of one of the parties. No marriage may be annulled or held void except pursuant to judicial proceedings. No marriage may be annulled after the death of either party to the marriage. A court may annul a marriage entered into under the following circumstances:

(1) A party lacked capacity to consent to the marriage at the time the marriage was solemnized, either because of age, because of mental capacity or infirmity or because of influence of alcohol, drugs, or other incapacitating substances, or a party was induced to enter into a marriage by force or duress, or by fraud involving the essentials of marriage. Suit may be brought by either party, or by the legal representative of a party lacking the capacity to consent, no later than one year after the petitioner obtained knowledge of the described condition.

(2) A party lacks the physical capacity to consummate the marriage by sexual intercourse, and at the time marriage was solemnized the other party did not know of the incapacity. Suit may be brought by either party no later than one year after the petitioner obtained knowledge of the incapacity.

(3) A party was 16 or 17 years of age and did not have the consent of his or her parent or guardian or judicial approval, or a party was under 16 years of age. Suit may be brought by the under-aged party or a parent or guardian at any time prior to the party's attaining the age of 18 years, but a parent or guardian must bring suit within one year of obtaining knowledge of the marriage.

(4) The marriage is prohibited by the laws of the Tribe. Suit may be brought by either party within 10 years of the marriage, except that the 10 year limitation shall not apply where the marriage is prohibited because either party has another spouse living at the time of the marriage and the impediment has not been removed as follows:

(b) If a person during the lifetime of a husband or wife with whom the marriage is in force, enters into a subsequent marriage contract and the parties thereto live together thereafter as husband and wife, and such subsequent marriage contract was entered into by one of the parties in good faith, in the full belief that the former husband or wife was dead, or that the former marriage has been annulled, or dissolved by a divorce, or without knowledge of such former marriage, if they continue to live together as husband and wife in good faith on the part of one of them, they shall be held to have been legally married from and after the removal of such impediment and the issue of such subsequent marriage shall be considered as the marital issue of both parents.