The following table provides references to state statutes which are relevant to how marital conduct is considered and treated by the court when determining the property distribution award upon divorce.
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State
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Rule
|
Authority
|
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AL
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Relevant
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Ex parte Drummond, 785 So. 2d 358 (Ala. 2000)
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|
AK
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Not Relevant
|
Jones v. Jones, 942 P.2d 1133 (Alaska 1997)
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|
AZ
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Not Relevant
|
Ariz. Stat. Ann. 25-318 (Westlaw 2003)
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|
AR
|
apparently Relevant, with threshold
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Stover v. Stover, 287 Ark. 116, 696 S.W.2d 750 (1986) (considering conspiracy to murder); Keathley v. Keathley, 76 Ark. App. 150, 162, 61 S.W.3d 219, 227 (2001) (noting that fault was not relevant under prior statute; under present statute, the division may "be based on action or the failure to act, which in a literal sense of the word, could be considered fault"; citing Stover as an example); no appellate decisions considering ordinary types of fault
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|
CA
|
Not Relevant (mandatory equal division of community property)
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Cal. Fam. Code 2550 (Westlaw 2003)
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|
CO
|
Not Relevant
|
In re Marriage of Casias, 962 P.2d 999 (Colo. Ct. App. 1998)
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|
CT
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Relevant
|
Sweet v. Sweet, 190 Conn. 657, 462 A.2d 1031 (1983)
|
|
DE
|
Not Relevant
|
Del. Code Ann. tit. 13, 1513(a) (Westlaw 2003)
|
|
DC
|
Relevant
|
Dews v. Dews, 632 A.2d 1160 (D.C. 1993)
|
|
FL
|
Not Relevant
|
Childers v. Childers, 640 So. 2d 108 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App.1994)
|
|
GA
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Relevant
|
Peters v. Peters, 248 Ga. 490, 283 S.E.2d 454 (1981)
|
|
HI
|
Not Relevant
|
Markham v. Markham, 80 Haw. 274, 909 P.2d 602 (Ct. App. 1996)
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|
ID
|
Not Relevant
|
Present statute (Idaho Code Ann. 32-712 (Westlaw 2003)) is silent on fault, which prior statute expressly listed as a factor; no appellate case law considering fault; see also Olsen v. Olsen, 98 Idaho 10, 17, 557 P.2d 604, 611 (1976) (Shepard, J., dissenting) ("[T]he legislature has eliminated fault from consideration in disposing of community property upon divorce")
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|
IL
|
Not Relevant
|
In re Getautas, 189 Ill. App. 3d 148, 544 N.E.2d 1284 (1989)
|
|
IN
|
Not Relevant
|
R.E.G. v. L.M.G., 571 N.E.2d 298 (Ind. Ct. App. 1991)
|
|
IA
|
Not Relevant
|
In re Marriage of Goodwin, 606 N.W.2d 315 (Iowa 2000)
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|
KS
|
Relevant with threshold; "rare and unusual situation[s] where a party’s conduct is so gross and extreme that failure to penalize therefor would, itself, be inequitable"
|
In re Marriage of Sommers, 246 Kan. 652, 658-59, 792 P.2d 1005, 1010 (1990)
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|
KY
|
Not Relevant
|
Brosick v. Brosick, 974 S.W.2d 498 (Ky. Ct. App. 1998)
|
|
LA
|
Not Relevant (mandatory equal division of community property)
|
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. 9:2801(A)(4)(b)
|
|
ME
|
Not Relevant
|
Boyd v. Boyd, 421 A.2d 1356 (Me. 1980)
|
|
MD
|
Relevant
|
Freedenburg v. Freedenburg, 123 Md. App. 729, 720 A.2d 948 (1998)
|
|
MA
|
Relevant
|
Ross v. Ross, 385 Mass. 30, 430 N.E.2d 815 (1982)
|
|
MI
|
Relevant
|
Sparks v. Sparks, 440 Mich. 141, 485 N.W.2d 893 (1992)
|
|
MS
|
Relevant
|
Carrow v. Carrow, 642 So. 2d 901 (Miss. 1994)
|
|
MO
|
Relevant
|
Fields v. Fields, 643 S.W.2d 611 (Mo. Ct. App. 1982)
|
|
MT
|
Not Relevant
|
In re Marriage of Hanni, 299 Mont. 20, 997 P.2d 760 (2000)
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|
NE
|
apparently Not Relevant
|
No appellate case law considering fault; fault is irrelevant to alimony, e.g., Else v. Else, 219 Neb. 878, 367 N.W.2d 701 (1985), and Neb. Rev. Stat. Ann. 42-365 (Westlaw 2003) uses the same factors to determine both alimony and property division
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|
NV
|
Not Relevant
|
Wheeler v. Upton-Wheeler, 113 Nev. 1185, 946 P.2d 200 (1997)
|
|
NH
|
essentially Relevant
|
Chabot v. Chabot, 126 N.H. 793, 795, 497 A.2d 851, 852 (1985) ("if a fault ground is proven to be the primary cause of the marital breakdown"). But cf. Boucher v. Boucher, 131 N.H. 377, 380, 553 A.2d 313, 315 (1988) ("[F]ault may not be considered in making a division of property following a no-fault divorce decree").
|
|
NJ
|
Not Relevant
|
Chalmers v. Chalmers, 65 N.J. 186, 320 A.2d 478, 483 (1974)
|
|
NM
|
Not Relevant (mandatory equal division of community property)
|
Trego v. Scott, 125 N.M. 323, 961 P.2d 168 (Ct. App. 1998)
|
|
NY
|
Relevant with threshold; "egregious cases which shock the conscience of the court"
|
O’Brien v. O’Brien, 66 N.Y.2d 576, 589, 489 N.E.2d 712, 719, 498 N.Y.S.2d 743, 750 (1985)
|
|
NC
|
Not Relevant
|
Smith v. Smith, 314 N.C. 80, 331 S.E.2d 682 (1985)
|
|
ND
|
Relevant
|
Wald v. Wald, 556 N.W.2d 291 (N.D. 1996)
|
|
OH
|
Not Relevant
|
Lemon v. Lemon, 42 Ohio App. 3d 142, 537 N.E.2d 246 (1988)
|
|
OK
|
Not Relevant
|
Smith v. Smith, 847 P.2d 827 (Okla. Ct. App. 1993)
|
|
OR
|
Not Relevant
|
In re Koch, 58 Or. App. 252, 648 P.2d 406 (1982)
|
|
PA
|
Not Relevant
|
Perlberger v. Perlberger, 426 Pa. Super. 245, 626 A.2d 1186 (1993)
|
|
RI
|
Relevant
|
Conley v. Conley, 508 A.2d 676 (R.I. 1986)
|
|
SC
|
Relevant
|
Woodside v. Woodside, 290 S.C. 366, 350 S.E.2d 407 (1986)
|
|
SD
|
Not Relevant
|
S.D. Codified Laws 25-4-45.1 (Westlaw 2003)
|
|
TN
|
Not Relevant
|
Bowman v. Bowman, 836 S.W.2d 53 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1991)
|
|
TX
|
Relevant
|
Young v. Young, 609 S.W.2d 758 (Tex. 1980)
|
|
UT
|
unclear
|
see notes
|
|
VT
|
Relevant
|
Daitchman v. Daitchman, 145 Vt. 145, 483 A.2d 270 (1984)
|
|
VA
|
Relevant
|
Smoot v. Smoot, 233 Va. 435, 357 S.E.2d 728 (1987); O’Loughlin v. O’Loughlin, 20 Va. App. 522, 458 S.E.2d 323 (1995)
|
|
VT
|
Relevant
|
Charles v. Charles, 788 F.2d 960 (3d Cir. 1986); Feddersen v. Feddersen, 68 F. Supp. 2d 585 (D.V.I. 1999)
|
|
WA
|
Not Relevant
|
In re Marriage of Clark, 13 Wash. App. 805, 538 P.2d 145 (1975)
|
|
WV
|
Not Relevant
|
Hastings v. Hastings, 201 W. Va. 354, 497 S.E.2d 203 (1997)
|
|
WI
|
Not Relevant
|
Anstutz v. Anstutz, 112 Wis. 2d 10, 331 N.W.2d 844 (Ct. App. 1983)
|
|
WY
|
Relevant
|
Hall v. Hall, 40 P.3d 1228 (Wyo. 2002)
|
This section will provide you with the state divorce laws addressing the following issues, but not limited to; Residency Requirements, Grounds for Divorce or Dissolution of Marriage, Legal Separation, Property Division, Child Custody, Child Support, Visitation, and Spousal Support or Alimony.
