Marriage of Underage Children

In most states, a person must be 18 in order to marry; however, in many states a minor 15 years or older may get married with legal permission from a parent or guardian. You have to be 16 to get married with parental consent in the State of New York. If you are under 16, you need a court order giving you permission to marry.

Fraudulent Inducement to Marry and Negligent Misrepresentation

A spouse may file an action against the defendant spouse alleging that based upon fraud or deceit she entered the marriage in reliance upon the defendant's false representations, which were made in order to induce the plaintiff to marry the defendant.

Guardian Ad Litem

What is a guardian ad litem? A minor cannot be a party to a lawsuit without assistance. Therefore, when a minor is a party to a lawsuit, the court appoints a guardian ad litem to represent the minor.

Self-emancipation of Minors

A minor may obtain a court order declaring him or her to be self-emancipated. A self-emancipated minor has most of the legal rights and duties of an adult. The parents of a self-emancipated minor have no further duty to support the minor.

Changing a Minor's Last Name

The issue of changing a minor's name is a rapidly emerging issue due to divorce, same-sex marriages, and parents using different last names. In the United States, there has been a tradition for centuries and a general assumption that a child born in wedlock will carry their father's last name or surname.