“Fiduciary Duty During Marriage To Other Spouse”
During a marriage, both parties have an equal right to control community property and incur debt. For instance, a credit card in one person’s name and for their use, which is then used for things for the family, is a community debt. The parties may agree to invest in a business, which goes bankrupt, and the transaction is not credited to either one in the divorce, Although generally transactions that happen during a marriage are not credited or charged to the party who did the action, there are some exceptions to this rule. Essentially, if a party violated the fiduciary duty (to act in good faith and for the benefit of the other party) then Section 1101 of the Family Law Code allows several remedies.
It tends to come up most often when one party buys an asset during the marriage in their own name and claims that it is therefore separate property. The court has the ability to give the other spouse 50% of the asset and also award attorney’s fees for the action to collect the value. The court also has the ability to add the name of the other spouse to property or assets.
Determining if Section 1101 applies is a matter of factual analysis, and will most likely have to be determined by a judge at trial. Below is the full text of Section 1101, which you should read before determining if you may have a breach of fiduciary duty that you should talk to an attorney about:
1101.
(a) A spouse has a claim against the other spouse for any breach of the fiduciary duty that results in impairment to the claimant spouse’s present undivided one-half interest in the community estate, including, but not limited to, a single transaction or a pattern or series of transactions, which transaction or transactions have caused or will cause a detrimental impact to the claimant spouse’s undivided one-half interest in the community estate.
(b) A court may order an accounting of the property and obligations of the parties to a marriage and may determine the rights of ownership in, the beneficial enjoyment of, or access to, community property, and the classification of all property of the parties to a marriage.
(c) A court may order that the name of a spouse shall be added to community property held in the name of the other spouse alone or that the title of community property held in some other title form shall be reformed to reflect its community character, except with respect to any of the following:
(1) A partnership interest held by the other spouse as a general partner.
(2) An interest in a professional corporation or professional association.
(3) An asset of an unincorporated business if the other spouse is the only spouse involved in operating and managing the business.
(4) Any other property, if the revision would adversely affect the rights of a third person.
(d) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), any action under subdivision (a) shall be commenced within three years of the date a petitioning spouse had actual knowledge that the transaction or event for which the remedy is being sought occurred.
(2) An action may be commenced under this section upon the death of a spouse or in conjunction with an action for legal separation, dissolution of marriage, or nullity without regard to the time limitations set forth in paragraph (1).
(3) The defense of laches may be raised in any action brought under this section.
(4) Except as to actions authorized by paragraph (2), remedies under subdivision (a) apply only to transactions or events occurring on or after July 1, 1987.
(e) In any transaction affecting community property in which the consent of both spouses is required, the court may, upon the motion of a spouse, dispense with the requirement of the other spouse’s consent if both of the following requirements are met:
(1) The proposed transaction is in the best interest of the community.
(2) Consent has been arbitrarily refused or cannot be obtained due to the physical incapacity, mental incapacity, or prolonged absence of the nonconsenting spouse.
(f) Any action may be brought under this section without filing an action for dissolution of marriage, legal separation, or nullity, or may be brought in conjunction with the action or upon the death of a spouse.
(g) Remedies for breach of the fiduciary duty by one spouse, including those set out in Sections 721 and 1100, shall include, but not be limited to, an award to the other spouse of 50 percent, or an amount equal to 50 percent, of any asset undisclosed or transferred in breach of the fiduciary duty plus attorney’s fees and court costs. The value of the asset shall be determined to be its highest value at the date of the breach of the fiduciary duty, the date of the sale or disposition of the asset, or the date of the award by the court.
(h) Remedies for the breach of the fiduciary duty by one spouse, as set forth in Sections 721 and 1100, when the breach falls within the ambit of Section 3294 of the Civil Code shall include, but not be limited to, an award to the other spouse of 100 percent, or an amount equal to 100 percent, of any asset undisclosed or transferred in breach of the fiduciary duty.
DISCLAIMER: All legal principles quoted are valid as of the date of writing in the State of California. However, you should NEVER base your actions on a legal article, blog, or internet story, as facts in real life are complicated. You should have your case evaluated by an attorney experienced in the area of law needed for your case. In addition, there are often exceptions and potential changes to results that occur due to facts that you may think are trivial or unimportant. This article should not be taken in any way as legal advice on your specific legal matter.
NOTICE: This blog and all materials on our website constitute advertisement materials, and the promulgation of such materials is meant for the residents of the State of California only. The attorneys and this firm do not practice law in any other state. In addition, the promulgation of these articles does not in any way create an attorney-client relationship and any inquiries and information you may send to the attorneys should be general and not specific, as they are not confidential.
“Fiduciary Duty During Marriage To Other Spouse”
During a marriage, both parties have an equal right to control community property and incur debt. For instance, a credit card in one person’s name and for their use, which is then used for things for the family, is a community debt. The parties may agree to invest in a business, which goes bankrupt, and the transaction is not credited to either one in the divorce, Although generally transactions that happen during a marriage are not credited or charged to the party who did the action, there are some exceptions to this rule. Essentially, if a party violated the fiduciary duty (to act in good faith and for the benefit of the other party) then Section 1101 of the Family Law Code allows several remedies.
It tends to come up most often when one party buys an asset during the marriage in their own name and claims that it is therefore separate property. The court has the ability to give the other spouse 50% of the asset and also award attorney’s fees for the action to collect the value. The court also has the ability to add the name of the other spouse to property or assets.
Determining if Section 1101 applies is a matter of factual analysis, and will most likely have to be determined by a judge at trial. Below is the full text of Section 1101, which you should read before determining if you may have a breach of fiduciary duty that you should talk to an attorney about:
1101.
(a) A spouse has a claim against the other spouse for any breach of the fiduciary duty that results in impairment to the claimant spouse’s present undivided one-half interest in the community estate, including, but not limited to, a single transaction or a pattern or series of transactions, which transaction or transactions have caused or will cause a detrimental impact to the claimant spouse’s undivided one-half interest in the community estate.
(b) A court may order an accounting of the property and obligations of the parties to a marriage and may determine the rights of ownership in, the beneficial enjoyment of, or access to, community property, and the classification of all property of the parties to a marriage.
(c) A court may order that the name of a spouse shall be added to community property held in the name of the other spouse alone or that the title of community property held in some other title form shall be reformed to reflect its community character, except with respect to any of the following:
(1) A partnership interest held by the other spouse as a general partner.
(2) An interest in a professional corporation or professional association.
(3) An asset of an unincorporated business if the other spouse is the only spouse involved in operating and managing the business.
(4) Any other property, if the revision would adversely affect the rights of a third person.
(d) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), any action under subdivision (a) shall be commenced within three years of the date a petitioning spouse had actual knowledge that the transaction or event for which the remedy is being sought occurred.
(2) An action may be commenced under this section upon the death of a spouse or in conjunction with an action for legal separation, dissolution of marriage, or nullity without regard to the time limitations set forth in paragraph (1).
(3) The defense of laches may be raised in any action brought under this section.
(4) Except as to actions authorized by paragraph (2), remedies under subdivision (a) apply only to transactions or events occurring on or after July 1, 1987.
(e) In any transaction affecting community property in which the consent of both spouses is required, the court may, upon the motion of a spouse, dispense with the requirement of the other spouse’s consent if both of the following requirements are met:
(1) The proposed transaction is in the best interest of the community.
(2) Consent has been arbitrarily refused or cannot be obtained due to the physical incapacity, mental incapacity, or prolonged absence of the nonconsenting spouse.
(f) Any action may be brought under this section without filing an action for dissolution of marriage, legal separation, or nullity, or may be brought in conjunction with the action or upon the death of a spouse.
(g) Remedies for breach of the fiduciary duty by one spouse, including those set out in Sections 721 and 1100, shall include, but not be limited to, an award to the other spouse of 50 percent, or an amount equal to 50 percent, of any asset undisclosed or transferred in breach of the fiduciary duty plus attorney’s fees and court costs. The value of the asset shall be determined to be its highest value at the date of the breach of the fiduciary duty, the date of the sale or disposition of the asset, or the date of the award by the court.
(h) Remedies for the breach of the fiduciary duty by one spouse, as set forth in Sections 721 and 1100, when the breach falls within the ambit of Section 3294 of the Civil Code shall include, but not be limited to, an award to the other spouse of 100 percent, or an amount equal to 100 percent, of any asset undisclosed or transferred in breach of the fiduciary duty.
DISCLAIMER: All legal principles quoted are valid as of the date of writing in the State of California. However, you should NEVER base your actions on a legal article, blog, or internet story, as facts in real life are complicated. You should have your case evaluated by an attorney experienced in the area of law needed for your case. In addition, there are often exceptions and potential changes to results that occur due to facts that you may think are trivial or unimportant. This article should not be taken in any way as legal advice on your specific legal matter.
NOTICE: This blog and all materials on our website constitute advertisement materials, and the promulgation of such materials is meant for the residents of the State of California only. The attorneys and this firm do not practice law in any other state. In addition, the promulgation of these articles does not in any way create an attorney-client relationship and any inquiries and information you may send to the attorneys should be general and not specific, as they are not confidential.
“Fiduciary Duty During Marriage To Other Spouse”
During a marriage, both parties have an equal right to control community property and incur debt. For instance, a credit card in one person’s name and for their use, which is then used for things for the family, is a community debt. The parties may agree to invest in a business, which goes bankrupt, and the transaction is not credited to either one in the divorce, Although generally transactions that happen during a marriage are not credited or charged to the party who did the action, there are some exceptions to this rule. Essentially, if a party violated the fiduciary duty (to act in good faith and for the benefit of the other party) then Section 1101 of the Family Law Code allows several remedies.
It tends to come up most often when one party buys an asset during the marriage in their own name and claims that it is therefore separate property. The court has the ability to give the other spouse 50% of the asset and also award attorney’s fees for the action to collect the value. The court also has the ability to add the name of the other spouse to property or assets.
Determining if Section 1101 applies is a matter of factual analysis, and will most likely have to be determined by a judge at trial. Below is the full text of Section 1101, which you should read before determining if you may have a breach of fiduciary duty that you should talk to an attorney about:
1101.
(a) A spouse has a claim against the other spouse for any breach of the fiduciary duty that results in impairment to the claimant spouse’s present undivided one-half interest in the community estate, including, but not limited to, a single transaction or a pattern or series of transactions, which transaction or transactions have caused or will cause a detrimental impact to the claimant spouse’s undivided one-half interest in the community estate.
(b) A court may order an accounting of the property and obligations of the parties to a marriage and may determine the rights of ownership in, the beneficial enjoyment of, or access to, community property, and the classification of all property of the parties to a marriage.
(c) A court may order that the name of a spouse shall be added to community property held in the name of the other spouse alone or that the title of community property held in some other title form shall be reformed to reflect its community character, except with respect to any of the following:
(1) A partnership interest held by the other spouse as a general partner.
(2) An interest in a professional corporation or professional association.
(3) An asset of an unincorporated business if the other spouse is the only spouse involved in operating and managing the business.
(4) Any other property, if the revision would adversely affect the rights of a third person.
(d) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), any action under subdivision (a) shall be commenced within three years of the date a petitioning spouse had actual knowledge that the transaction or event for which the remedy is being sought occurred.
(2) An action may be commenced under this section upon the death of a spouse or in conjunction with an action for legal separation, dissolution of marriage, or nullity without regard to the time limitations set forth in paragraph (1).
(3) The defense of laches may be raised in any action brought under this section.
(4) Except as to actions authorized by paragraph (2), remedies under subdivision (a) apply only to transactions or events occurring on or after July 1, 1987.
(e) In any transaction affecting community property in which the consent of both spouses is required, the court may, upon the motion of a spouse, dispense with the requirement of the other spouse’s consent if both of the following requirements are met:
(1) The proposed transaction is in the best interest of the community.
(2) Consent has been arbitrarily refused or cannot be obtained due to the physical incapacity, mental incapacity, or prolonged absence of the nonconsenting spouse.
(f) Any action may be brought under this section without filing an action for dissolution of marriage, legal separation, or nullity, or may be brought in conjunction with the action or upon the death of a spouse.
(g) Remedies for breach of the fiduciary duty by one spouse, including those set out in Sections 721 and 1100, shall include, but not be limited to, an award to the other spouse of 50 percent, or an amount equal to 50 percent, of any asset undisclosed or transferred in breach of the fiduciary duty plus attorney’s fees and court costs. The value of the asset shall be determined to be its highest value at the date of the breach of the fiduciary duty, the date of the sale or disposition of the asset, or the date of the award by the court.
(h) Remedies for the breach of the fiduciary duty by one spouse, as set forth in Sections 721 and 1100, when the breach falls within the ambit of Section 3294 of the Civil Code shall include, but not be limited to, an award to the other spouse of 100 percent, or an amount equal to 100 percent, of any asset undisclosed or transferred in breach of the fiduciary duty.
DISCLAIMER: All legal principles quoted are valid as of the date of writing in the State of California. However, you should NEVER base your actions on a legal article, blog, or internet story, as facts in real life are complicated. You should have your case evaluated by an attorney experienced in the area of law needed for your case. In addition, there are often exceptions and potential changes to results that occur due to facts that you may think are trivial or unimportant. This article should not be taken in any way as legal advice on your specific legal matter.
NOTICE: This blog and all materials on our website constitute advertisement materials, and the promulgation of such materials is meant for the residents of the State of California only. The attorneys and this firm do not practice law in any other state. In addition, the promulgation of these articles does not in any way create an attorney-client relationship and any inquiries and information you may send to the attorneys should be general and not specific, as they are not confidential.