Tag Archives: separate property

Adventures in Community Property: Estate of Borghi (2009)

This is yet another pop quiz that looks at how Washington courts apply our state’s community property laws to specific individuals and their unique stories.   To recap:  Washington is a community property state, which generally means that all property that a couple acquires during their marriage is presumed to be jointly owned by both spouses, while all property acquired…

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Adventures in Community Property Breaking News – Clayton v. Wilson (2010)

In two previous pop quizzes, we discussed previous Washington court decisions regarding community property and community liability for torts committed by one spouse.  To recap:  Washington is a community property state, which generally means that all property that a couple acquires during their marriage is considered to be jointly owned by both spouses, and neither spouse can…

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What’s Community Property?


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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