Predatory Marriages

“Predatory marriage” is a non-legal term commonly used to describe those marriages which take place where one of the parties to the marriage did not validly consent to it, whether because of duress, mistake, unsoundness of mind or otherwise.

Both parties to a marriage need to have the necessary mental capacity to marry. A predatory marriage can be used to describe a marriage where one of the parties did not have the necessary mental capacity to consent to it, owing to unsoundness of mind which may have a variety of causes, including a mental illness, or a disease such as Alzheimer's. The “predator” may have deliberately taken advantage of their victim with a view to financial gain.