Question:
Answer:
While it is certainly grounds for separation and possible civil divorce (canon 1153 §1) it is not inherently grounds for an annulment.
An annulment does not dissolve a marriage or “bless” a divorce. An annulment states that something was inherently wrong with the vows that were exchanged when they were exchanged.
As such, if the domestic violence was something that affected the ability to exchange vows at the time of the wedding then it most certainly would be grounds for an annulment. Such a scenario where one partner has great fear of the other or where one partner exerts abusive control over the other would certainly affect someone’s ability to freely give consent. And indeed, someone who enters into a marriage with the intention of controlling the other can’t possibly be said to have “the good of the spouse” (canon 1055 §1) as an intended end of marriage.
If the controlling and dominating behavior can be shown to predate the exchange of vows and to have affected the free exchange of vows then it would most certainly be a grounds of annulment.
If, however, the domestic violence is something that “came out of nowhere” much later in the marriage then it cannot be used as a grounds for annulment. It would be quite unusual for such behavior to inexplicably show up at a later time so while the actual abuse itself might not be grounds for an annulment whatever is underlying it might be able to be traced back to the time of the exchange of consent.