Georgia Family Law Flashcards
Antenuptial (Premarital) Agreements
Prematial contracts that address the rights of parties upon divorce or death
Can agree to remain separate in property
Can agree to waive alimony unless renders spouse a public charge
Premarital K rules
(1) Absence of Fraud, duress, mistake, misrepreation, or non disclosure.
(2) Free and voluntary with full understanding, (cts. look at the opportunity to consult with independent counsel.)
(3) It was not unconscionable when executed
(4) It is neither unfair nor unreasonable in light of current circumstances.
(5) in writing signed with 2 w’s (1Notary)
Common Law Marriage
(consent,cohab,ho)
(1) GA pre-1997 nor non-Ga,
(2)pts cosent to marry
(3) cohabitate; AND
(4) Hold themselves out to be married
Ceremonial Marriage
(1) License and
(2) Consumation (solomnization); recorded w/ in 30 days or affidavits from 2 Ws req’d to issue lic and record.
(3) No bigamy(already married) or consanguity (half siblings can’t marry, cousins CAN)
(4)Age 18, 17 with consent, 16 or younger not allowed
Heartbalm Action (Marriage)
Civil sut for breach of promise to marry;
money damges for reputation and expenses incurred in prep
Return the gifts
Annulment (Marriage)
Decalr marriage invalid;
ok unless you have marital kids (unless marriage is consangity bigamy)
distribution of property: Puts parties back in the position they were in before marriage,
Spousal support in the interim
Void (Marriage)
Never Valid
- Bigamy
- Incest
- Mental incapacity
Voidable (Marriage)
Valid until ct declares void; Secsequent consent & Cohab can validate;
(1) 17 w/o parent consent or under 17
(2)duress
(3)intoxication
(4) Fraud or misrepresentation
No Fault (Divorce)
Rights and Responsibilities of property (Marriage/divorce)
Each spouse owns and controls the property in their own name, but TITLE IS NOT DISPOSITIVE when equitably dividing in the event of divorce.
How do spouses take property (Marriage)
As tenants in common, can alter this by a deed which would make them joint tenants with a right of survivorship. (Georgia does not recognize tenancy by the entirety).
Support and Doctrine of necessities
Each spouse has an obligation to support the other during marriage. uNDER DOCTRINE OF NECESSAIRS, ONE SPOUSE CAN BE HELD LIABLE TO A THIRD PARTY FOR THE OTHER SPOUSES PURCHASES THAT RELATE TO NECESSARY EXPESNES (Food clothing, medical care).
Residence Req (Divorce and speeration)
Only one of the spouses must be a bonafied resident (aka domicled 6 months before filing)
Non resident can file a petition against a goeriga resident as long as its filed in the county of the D’s residency after that person lived in Ga for 6 months).
Financial Issues (Divorce and separation)
Generally a court cannot determine property rights or rights to support unless it has PERSONAL JURISDCIITON.
If you cant get personal jurisdiction then the court can grant the divorce but cant award spousal support or divide property.
Georgia Long Arm for Financial issues (DIVORCE and Separation)
Reach them for child support, spousal support, etc, if the nonresident
(1) mainis a matrimonial domicile in Georgia at the time of the commencement of the action OR
(2) Resided in Ga preceding the commencement of the action
Concurrent Jurisdiction ((Divorce and separation)
Multiple cases could proceed until one court renders a judgment causing the other to lose SMJ (Becuase it is moot since marriage is over)
Divorce as a Jury Issue
Georiga is the only state that allows the question of divorce to go to a jury.
2 types of Divorce
No fault and fault
No fault divorce
No fault is pled or proven as a matter of law (even though there may be fault as a matter or fact). MAKE SURE YOU MENTION THE MARRIAGE IS IRRETRIBEBNLY BROKEN WITH NO POSSIBILITY OF RECONCILLIATION.
What must you show for a No fault divorce?
Must show
(1) Marriage is irretrievably broken with no possibility of reconcillation)
(2) 30 day waiting period b/t service on respondent and the grant of the divorce
What must you show for a fault divorce?
Any of the 11:
Cruelty
Habiital intoxication or drug use
Adultry (opportunity and inclination w/ coroboration)
Desertion for 1year+
Mental incapacity
Incureable mental illness
Convition of an offense involving moral turpitude (honesty)
Incest
Impotency
Fraud
Pregnancy
What is the only defense to a no-fault Divorce
Reconciliation during the 30-day witing period.
Defenses to Fault Divorce
Collusion
Connivance (willing conent by one spouse to another spouses misconduct)
Condonation (Forgivness with full knowledge of their commission, courts will look at whether yall started having sex again
Recrimination (The party seeking the divorce is guilty of the same misconduct they are accusing the spouse of) COURT DONT LOOK AT THIS ANYMORE
Legal Separation
Cant divide property but Court can still get awarded support. and make determinations regarding child custody.
What property division appraoch does the state of Georgia use?
Equitable division of marital property: Each spouse takes ehteir separate property, and the court only divides the property acquired during the marriage. PROEPRTY DEVRESS ARE NOT MODIFIABLE (FINAL)
What is the two step process for property division
(1) CLassification: Determine whetehr each asset is marial, separate, or mixed property.
(2)Division: Make an equitable division of the marital estate.
Title is NOT dispositive in equital division. If you see a bar question where all of the property acquired by the spouses is tiled in one spouses name DONT FALL FOR IT.
What are the 3 different types of classifications for assets?
Separate property, Marital Property, Mixed property
What is separate property?
All real and personal property owned by a spouse before marriage (including assets held in retirement accounts).
Property acquired by gift, bequest, devise, or descent
Property acquired in exchange for separate property
Income from and appreciation of separate property
Personal damages and future damages
Marital Property
All other property acquired during the marriage.
What are the special issues with classification of property?
Comingling
Source of funds
Transmutation
Appreciation of Separate Property
Property acquired before the marriage but paid for after the marriage (source of fund rules apply).
Pensions
Professional License or Degree
Comingling
Comingling (Money is now inextricably intertwined)
Source of funds rule for property
Source of funds (property is classified as separate or marital based on the source of funds used to acquire it)
LOOK FOR Property acquired before the marriage but paid for after the marriage
Transmutation
Transmutation (Seperate property now becomes maritabl property based on the intent of the parties (ex. husband buys home and list him and wife as joint tenants with rights of suvivorship.
Appreciateion of separte property
An increase in the value of separate property belongs to the marital estate ONLY IF it is improved by use of marital funds or the efforts of either spouse.
Note a regular increase due to markets factors means that it remains separate property.
Pensions
Marital property if acquired during the marriage. Some spouses simply accept other assets at the time of the divorce to equalize the distribution.
Professional License or Degree
In Georgia professional liscense degree is not distributable property however if one spouse puts the other through school, the court may consider the degree when making an award of ALIMONY (NOT PROPERTY DIVISION)
Tax Consequences
Property division is not considered a taxable event.
Can you modifiy a property divsion?
No!!!!
What factors are considered when making an equitable division of property?
GIRL LOOK AT PG. 20 THERES TOO MUCH.
Just end it by noting that the trial court has a great deal of discretion in making an equitable division of property.
What are the two ways courts can divide property?
In kind (dividing up by assets)
By contribution. (awarding assets to one spouse and money to the other)
What do we look at when deciding alimony?
- Needs of the claimant’s spouse and
- The ability of the other spouse to pay
What is alimony?
A sum of money paid by one spouse to an economically dependent spouse.
What are the 4 types of Spousal support (alimony)
- Permanent Periodic Spousal Support
- Lump sum?
- Rehabilitative spousal support
- Reimbursement spousal support
Permanent periodic Spousal support
Money paid regularly to support a spouse who has neither the resources nor the ability to be self-sustaining.
Duration: Indefinite until someone remarries or dies
Modification: Can be increased, decreased, or terminated upon proof of circumstantial change of circumstances.
LOOK FOR NO GRAND TOTAL 500 PER MONTH
Lump sum
Take what would have been paid over the years and give it all at once or in a series of payments
Duration: For the specified time period
Modification: None and its binding on Payor’s estate
LOOK FOR GRAND TOATL 30K PAYABLE IN 500 MONTHLY INSTALLMENTS
Rehabilitative Spousal Support
Period payments for a limited time to enable a spouse to gain skills to become self supporting (can be periodic or lump sum)
Duration (for a specified time as decided by court.
Modification: Can be increased, decreased, or terminated upon proof of a circumstantial change of circumstances.
Reimbursement Spousal Support
Reimburse a spouse who made financial contributions to pay for the other spouse to get additional education or training that increased the second spouses earning power, and the paying spouse didn’t get to enjoy the benefits of that increased earning power because of the divorce.
Duration: A specific period of time but can be payable in installments or lump sum
Modicitaion. None it is treated as a contract right an binding to payors esate.
What factos do courts look at when devideing alimony?
Look at pg 24 in barbri
What is an absolute bar to alimony?
Adultery or desertion
What are the only types of spousal support (alimony that is modifiable)
Permant periidic or rehabilitative alimony.
Look for a change that is
1. substantial
2 continual
Voluntary reduction is not suffienct to reduce change (you quit your job, that’s on you).
Termination of Spousal support
- Recipient remaires
- either spouse dies
- Recipient cohabitatioes with another (termination not automatic so payor has to ask judge).