There is a presumption that property possessed by a spouse during or on Texas marital dissolution is community property. A party claiming separate property must prove its separate character by clear and convincing evidence. Tex. Fam. Code § 3.003. In a recent case a wife appealed the trial court’s characterization…
Articles Posted in separate property
Characterization of Personal Injury Recovery in Texas Divorce
The characterization of funds received for personal injuries can be a complex issue in a Texas divorce. Texas family law presumes that property possessed by a spouse during or on dissolution of the marriage is community property. When a spouse claims certain property is separate, that spouse must prove by…
Legal Description of Property Controls Over Address in Texas Husband’s Quitclaim Deed to Wife
When one spouse transfers property to the other spouse by deed, there is a rebuttable presumption the property was gifted to the other spouse as separate property. A deed must contain a sufficient description of the property. In some cases, there may be mistakes or conflicting information in the deed. …
Texas Court Characterizes Property Conveyed by Husband’s Parents as Community Property
In a Texas divorce, there is a presumption that property possessed by either party during or on dissolution is community property. Tex. Fam. Code Ann. § 3.003(a). Property’s characterization is determined by inception of its title. In a recent case, a husband challenged a trial court’s characterization of property conveyed…
House Bought Before Marriage Declared Both Parties’ Separate Property in Texas Divorce
Pursuant to the Inception of Title doctrine, a property’s character is determined when the party acquires their interest in it. This means that property acquired before the marriage will generally be characterized as that spouse’s separate property in a Texas divorce. In a recent case, however, the court determined that…
Characterization of Personal Injury Recovery in Texas Divorce Cases
Under Texas family law, property acquired by a spouse during the marriage is community property, unless it meets the requirements of separate property. Pursuant to Tex. Fam. Code § 3.001, personal injury recoveries are the separate property of the injured spouse, but recovery for lost earning capacity is community property. …
Marital Home Built on Gifted Lots Retains Separate Property Characterization in Texas Divorce
The characterization of property in a Texas divorce is generally determined by the property’s character when the spouse acquired it. Separate property is property a spouse owned before the marriage or acquired during the marriage through gift, devise, or decent. Improvements made to separate property are generally also separate property…
Texas Appeals Court Upholds Separate Property Characterization
Property possessed by either spouse at the time of a Texas divorce is generally presumed to be community property, but that presumption can be rebutted by clear and convincing evidence. A number of other rules and presumptions may affect the characterization of property during the property division. A husband recently…
Texas Appeals Court Reverses Separate Property Characterization in Divorce Case
In a Texas divorce, the trial court must divide the estate in a just and right manner, but the division does not have to be equal. Property possessed by either party during or on dissolution of the marriage is presumed to be community property. To rebut the presumption, a party…
Texas Trial Court Lacks Jurisdiction to Correct Errors in Retirement Division Years After Decree
A final and unambiguous Texas divorce decree that disposes of all of the marital property generally may not be relitigated. The Texas Family Code allows the trial court to keep continuing subject matter jurisdiction to clarify and enforce the property division, but it cannot change or modify it. In a…