Property acquired by a married couple whereas domiciled outdoors of California, which might have been categorised as group property had it been acquired whereas residing in California, is handled as separate property throughout the marriage. Upon divorce or dying, nevertheless, this property, termed quasi-community property, is topic to division or inheritance in a lot the identical method as group property. As an example, if a pair strikes to California after accumulating belongings in one other state, a home bought in that different state, solely in a single partner’s identify, can be thought of quasi-community property.
This classification presents vital safety to non-acquiring spouses, guaranteeing a good and equitable division of belongings acquired throughout the marriage, no matter the place the couple lived. It prevents one partner from claiming all belongings as separate property just because they have been acquired outdoors of California. This idea displays California’s sturdy public coverage favoring equal division of marital belongings and protects the monetary pursuits of each spouses upon dissolution of marriage or dying. Its historic growth stems from a recognition that migrating {couples} ought to obtain the identical property rights protections afforded to long-term California residents.