Q: I bought a house 3 years before marriage. Is my wife entitled to 1/2 of the equity in a divorce if she never worked?
The house is under my name only.
A: The equity that existed in the house at the time of marriage is your separate property. However, any increase in that equity that occurred during the marriage is marital property, subject to an equitable distribution by the court. Equitable means fair, not necessarily equal. You should get a lawyer to help you with this.
A: I agree with the last answer. Also the fact that she did not work during the marriage does n to impact her property interest in marital property. You may wish to argue for spousal support purposes that income should be imputed to her which would reduce the amount of any spousal support that you would pay to her.
Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.
The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.
Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.