Monthly Archives: September 2009

Adventures in Community Property, Part One: The Road Warrior and the Pedophile

September 23, 2009 – 2:39 pm

Last week we discussed whether or not a spouse can be criminally liable for damaging his community owned property.  We’re continuing on the theme of community property with this two-part pop quiz. Today we ask if community property (that is, property jointly owned by spouses) can be collected by a victim in cases where one spouse has…

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By liz | Posted in Pop Quiz | Comments (2)

Is it a Crime to Damage Community Property?

September 16, 2009 – 10:55 am

As we discussed in a previous article, Washington is a community property state.  This means that, in this state, most property that a couple acquires during their marriage is considered to be the property of both spouses.  So any given piece of property, from a car to a condo, that a married person buys is generally considered to…

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By liz | Posted in Pop Quiz | Comments (1)

Who’s the Daddy?

September 10, 2009 – 11:40 am

The case of “JMK”

This pop quiz involves a particularly interesting, and occasionally absurd issue in family law – the question of how the courts determine exactly who is the parent of a child.*  This probably seems like a simple issue to resolve, especially now that a DNA test can determine genetic relationship with virtual certainty.

However, the…

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By liz | Posted in Pop Quiz | Comments Off

What’s Community Property?

September 3, 2009 – 11:44 am


Question

I’ve heard that Washington is a community property state.  What does this mean?

Answer

Community property refers to the way that Washington laws treat the property of married people.*  In general, married people in Washington have two kinds of property: community and separate.  Community property is property that both spouses own equally, while separate property…

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By liz | Posted in Ask a Lawyer | Tagged community property, Divorce, separate property, Washington law | Comments (1)

Aleki of Wellington, Lord Of The Ring

September 1, 2009 – 7:08 am

Luckily for Aleki Taumoepeau, a New Zealand man, love might be bottomless but the ocean is not. Over a year ago, Aleki, a newly-wed ecologist, was conducting an environmental sweep of the Wellington harbor when he accidentally dropped his wedding ring into the water. His wife Rachel remembers:

“It flew off into the air and everyone on

…

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By topher | Posted in Features | Comments Off