Question:
I rushed into a marriage on 06-21-05 and have since learned that my spouse, a Permanent Resident, married and never divorced a lady in Mexico long ago. Not only that but he wants children and I never told him that I had to have a hysterectomy last year and cannot have children. Both of us would like an annulment because of the details we both kept from one another. I casually asked a friend who mentioned that because my spouse is still married, my marriage is already void but I want to be certain. And if so, how do I retain my previous name?
Answer:
I cannot answer your question specifically to the laws of Tennessee as I am not licensed in that State. In my jurisdiction your friend would be correct. To file change your name you would need to file a Motion for Change of Name. Where I work you need to publish the name change in a legal newspaper for a period of weeks and attest that you are not asking for the change to avoid any debts or criminal action.
