Once you get through the emotional blow that comes with the decision to divorce, you have to deal with the practical concerns, including the division of your marital property. California is a community property state, which means that you and your spouse are supposed to split everything equally.
Except figuring out what you’re actually entitled to split may not be that easy. People lead complicated lives, and one subject that often comes up is what happens to property that was purchased by one spouse while the couple was domiciled in another state where “community property” isn’t the rule.
That’s what California law refers to as “quasi-community property.” Essentially, quasi-community property is any asset that was acquired by one-half of a couple while they were living in another state that would have been considered marital property had it been acquired in California.
For example, maybe your spouse bought a condo in New Jersey just after you were first married. You were a student at the time, so you paid nothing on the property. It’s titled solely in their name — and they claim that makes the condo their separate property. Under this state’s laws, however, that’s quasi-community property and is subject to division in your divorce.
Understanding the complexities of property division in a divorce can be hard — even in California. You could be cheating yourself out of something you are due simply because you don’t understand the nuances of the law. (Or, you could be splitting something that you’re entitled to keep.) Find out more by working closely with an experienced divorce attorney.
