“A marriage can be annulled if it was entered into as a joke or dare”
Under Delaware Code Title 13, Chapter 15, Section 1506(a)(6), Delaware courts shall enter a decree of annulment when one or both parties entered into the marriage "as a jest or dare." The aggrieved spouse must file for annulment within 90 days of discovering the true nature of the marriage.
Delaware's marriage annulment statute allows courts to annul marriages entered into as a jest or dare, covering situations where someone is pressured into marriage by peers or enters into marriage as a prank, without genuine intent to establish a lasting marital relationship. Standing is broader than for most annulment grounds: under § 1506(b)(1), the petition may be brought by either party to the marriage who was aggrieved by the condition — the statute does not limit it to a spouse who was deceived, and the ground itself covers marriages where "one or both parties" entered as a jest or dare. The petition must be filed no later than 90 days after the petitioner learned of the condition, and annulment undoes the marriage without requiring a full divorce proceeding.
Where the story gets it wrong
Some assume it's illegal to marry on a dare in Delaware, but the law does not criminalize such marriages. It simply provides grounds for annulment: the aggrieved spouse must file within 90 days of discovering the jest or dare.
The Court shall enter a decree of annulment of a marriage entered into under any of the following circumstances: ... (6) One or both parties entered into the marriage as a jest or dare. — (b) A decree of annulment may be sought by any of the following persons, and a petition therefor must be filed within the times specified below ... (1) For the reasons set forth in either paragraph (a)(1), (4), (5) or (6) of this section, by either party to the marriage who was aggrieved by the condition or conditions, or by the legal representative of the party who lacked capacity to consent, no later than 90 days after petitioner obtained knowledge of the described condition. — 13 Del. C. § 1506(a)(6), (b)(1)
- Current status
- Rarely Enforced
- Penalty
- Not applicable—this is a grounds for annulment, which dissolves the marriage rather than imposing a penalty.