A debtor that is married might offer various defenses based on the community property laws of the state of Texas. This page discusses some of those issues. A spouse's separate property cannot be seized to satisfy a judgment against the other spouse unless both spouses are liable under other rule of law.
Texas Laws on Community Debt In many community property jurisdictions, debts incurred during the marriage are presumed to be the joint responsibility of both spouses.
Code § 4.102. Current with legislation from the 2023 Regular and Special Sessions signed by the Governor as of November 21, 2023. At any time, the spouses may partition or exchange between themselves all or part of their community property, then existing or to be acquired, as the spouses may desire.
Addressing Spousal Support and Debt Payments The divorce decree will define who is responsible for specific debts, but creditors may still attempt to collect from either party if the debt was initially joint.
So if you're wondering what happens if you bought a house before marriage in Texas, the state would generally view that home as your separate property, meaning the home is not considered community property or subject to fair and equitable division upon divorce.
In Texas, the principle of 'just and right' division governs the distribution of assets in a divorce. This means that the court will divide community property in a manner that it considers fair and equitable, rather than adhering to a strict 50-50 split. Various factors such as: the nature of the assets.
Therefore, even if your name is not on the deed, you may still have a legal claim to the property. This joint ownership concept is vital for understanding your rights in a Texas divorce and ensures that both spouses have equitable rights over property acquired during the marriage.
The surviving spouse automatically receives all community property. Separate personal property also goes completely to the surviving spouse, while separate real property is split down the middle between the surviving spouse and the deceased's parents, siblings or siblings' descendants, in that order.
The parties acknowledge that, to convert additional separate property of either party into com- munity property, the parties must prepare and sign a separate written instrument. This agreement may be enforced by suit in law or equity by either of the parties or by their heirs, executors, attorneys, or assigns.