Lesson 1 - FL PDF

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LESSON 1 FAMILY LAW, FAMILIES AND KINSHIP: HUDOC: website of the European Court of Human Rights 0. INTRODUCTION: or some authors are hesitating about the first term used since there is no longer a unique model of family to analyze, but a lot of models of family. 1. WHAT IS FAMILY LAW ABOUT? Family r...

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LESSON&1&–&FAMILY&LAW,&FAMILIES&AND&KINSHIP:& ! HUDOC:!website!of!the!European!Court!of!Human!Rights! 0.&INTRODUCTION:&& “Family!law”!or!“Families!law”:!some!authors!are!hesitating!about!the!first!term!used!“family! law”!since!there!is!no!longer!a!unique!model!of!family!to!analyze,!but!a!lot!of!models!of!family.!! ! 1.&WHAT&IS&FAMILY&LAW&ABOUT?& Family&relationships:& • Spouses!or!cohabitants! • Children!and!parents! • Kins!! -! The!establishment! of!family! relationships:!which!considers!the! law!is! important!in!order! to! create!a!familiar!relationship.! -!The!functioning!of!ongoing!family!relationships:!obligations!and!rights!of!the!family!members! inside!their!family!relationship.! -!The!adjustments! in!family!relationships!following!a!family!breakdown!à! the!most!important! part!in!practice:!after!a!divorce,!we!will!see!which!are!the!obligations!of!the!parents!infront!of! their!children.!! ! 2.&FAMILY&LAW&IN&SPAIN:&A&REALM&OF&DIVERSITY:&& The!family!law!nowadays!is!more!a!divorce!law!than!in!his!own!a!family!law.! The! law! Works! when! the! family! vanishes,! since! it! is! in! this! precise! moment! when! we! need! solutions!(provided!by!law).!So,!the!family!law!it’s!very!focused!in!the!divorces:!“si#hay#família# no#hay#derecho,#si#hay#derecho#no#hay#familia”.! The!law! is!the!last! resource,!because! it!is!aplicable!when! the!family!breaksdown.!Example:!a! guy!go!to!the!court!to!get!from!his!parents!a!“pensión#por#alimentos”.!! In! Spain,! regions! which!had! already! separate! legislation!in!1978! have! the! power! to!preserve,! modify!and!develop!their!civil!law!systems!(sec.!149.1.!nº!8!SC).!!However,!some!topics,!such!as! the!“forms&of& marriage”,!are!excluded!from!the!power!of!certain!regions!to!preserve,!modify! and!develop!their!own! private!law,!and! they! are!exclusive!from! the!Spanish! legislator.!In!this! sense,!the!Catalan!legislator!even!if!he!has!competence!in!the!family!law,!he!won’t!have!power! to!introduce!new!models!of!marriage.!! The!Spanish!Constitutions!considers!that!the!marriage!conditions!are!such!important!that!have! to!be!equal!for!all!the!Spanish!citizens.!!! Has! the! Catalan! legislator! competence! on! civil! unions! (parelles# de# fet)# o! is! it! an! exclusive! competence! of! the! Spanish! legislator?! Well,! since! 1998,! the! Catalan! legislator! interprets! “forms! of! marriage”! in! a! restrictive! way,! so! it! is! not! considered! civil! unions! are! inside! this! group.!à!so! the!Catalan! legislator!has!competence!on! them.!(After!Catalonia,!some!CA! have! followed!her!steps!and!they!have!already!regulated!this!model!of!union.! The! following! CA! have! their! own! legislation!in! family! law:! Galicia,! País! Vasc,! Navarra,! Aragó,! Catalunya,!Valencia,!Illes!Balears.! • In!the!particular!case!of!Valencia,!there’s!controversy!since!it!has!legislated!on!family!law! ex#novo#and!the!Court!hesitated!about!if!it!was!an!excess!of!its!competences!or!not.!! !

3.&SOURCES&OF&FAMILY&LAW:&& -!Catalan&law:&the!Book!2!of!the!Catalan!Civil!Code!2011!(CCC)! -!Spanish&law! • Spanish!Constitution!1978!(SC)! • Spanish! Civil! Code! 1889! (CC)! and! statutory! law! (e.g.,! Acts! 13/2005,! 15/2005,! 14/2006,! 15/2015,!29/2015).!! -!European&and&International&law! • European!Convention!of!Human!Rights!1950!(ECHR)!and!Council!of!Europe!Conventions! • EU!Treaties!and!Regulation!! • Internacional!Treaties!concluded!by!Spain!! -Case&law&(ECtHR,!Spanish!CtC,!SCJC,!etc.).!! The! principles! of! European! Family! Law! and! other! “soft% law”% materials! also! provide! very! valuable!insights!into! family!law.!à!it! is!important!since!it!influences! in!the!decisions!of! the! Judges!of!the!different!States.!These!are!recomendations!made!by!academics!who!know!very! good!the!troubles!arising!inside!the!family!law.!! 4.!THE&“FAMILY”&NOTION&IN&THE&LAW&AND&THE&SOCIETY.&THE&CONSTITUTIONAL&PROTECTION& OF&FAMILIES.&NEW&FAMILY&MODELS&AND&THEIR&LEGAL&RELEVANCE:&! 4.1&The&legal¬ion&of&“family”:&A&constitutional&concept?:&& Sec.&39.1&SC:!The!public!authorities!ensure!social,!economic!and!legal!protection!of!the!family.!! The!importance!of!the!institution!comes!in!first!place,!from!the!family,!which!is!the!object!of! its! protection.! The! family! is!not! only!a!private! institution,!but! an!institution! that! can! even! be! regulated!by!the!State.!! The! family! then,! needs! to! be! protected! by! the! State! in! certain! situations.! The! family! is! a! structure! in! which! there! might! be! parties! in! a! weaker! position! (sometimes! because! parents! don’t!take!care!of!the!children,!then!the!State!needs!to!intervene!in!order!to!take!care!of!this! children! for! their! best! interest).! In! the! family! there! might! have! been! decisions! taken! under! pressure! or! certain! feelings,! which! may! not! lead! to! the! right! consequence.! It! explains! the! possible!protection!of!the!weakest!party,!since!this!position!might!come!from!a!decision!taken! under!pressure.!In!most!cases,!the!weakest!party!is!the!woman.!! In!every!family,!there!must!exist!a!party!who!needs!more!attention,!that!is:!the!children.!When! we!are!in!these!situations,!and!there!are!under!18!yeared!children!under!the!protection!of!the! parents!and!suddenly!they!divorce,!the!jutge!has!to!take!in!consideration!this!current!situation,! that’s!why!there’s!a!huge!intervention!of!the!State!in!such!cases.!! TO!SUM!UP:!Limits&of&private&autonomy&in!family!law,!justified!by!inequalities&among&family& members&and!child’s&best&interest&à!State!intervention!v.!private!ordering.!! Nowadays,!we!have!contracts!which!come!from!“common!law!systems”!for!families!with!high! economical!level!situations.!For!instance,!the!premarital&agreements,&in!which!the!parties!can! decide! what! they! prefer,! without! the! intervention! of! the! State.! If! one! of! the! parties! can! demonstrate!there!was!lac!of!consent,!these!contracts!can!become!null!and!void.!! All! the! families! are! protected! by! the! State,! without! discrimination! amongst! the! children.! à! sec.&39&SC!protects!the!“family”!in!general!and!makes!children!equal.!! The!Supreme! Constitutional!Court!(CC)!hasn’t! defined!a!constitutional!concept! of!family,& but! admits!that!it!goes!beyond!married!couples!(CCt!222/1992).!! !

The!sec.!231-1&CCC!give!us!a!broad!(and!more!complete)!notion!of!family,!by!recognizing!family! relations! derived!from!marriage,! stable!cohabitants,! single!parents!with!his! or!her! offspring…! as!families.!à!these!different!cases!must!be!in!the!same!position.!! ARTICLE&231-1.&HETEROGENEITY&OF&FAMILIES:& 1.# Family# enjoys# the# legal# protection# provided# by# the# law,# which# protects# indiscriminately# family# relationships# based# on# marriage# or# stable# cohabitation# partnership# and# families# formed#by#single#parents#with#their#descendents.# 2.#The#children#of#each#parent#who#live#in#the#same#family#unit,#following#the#formation#of# reconstituted#families#(families#which#are#the#result#of#a#previous#divorce),#are#recognized#as# members#of#the#family,#with#the#effects#laid#down#by#law.#This#recognition#does#not#alter#the# bonds#to#the#other#parent.# ! 4.2&Then,&what&constitutes&a&family?:& What!constitutes!a!family?!There’s!a!lack!of!a!concrete!legal!definition!of!family,!since!we’re!in! front! of! a! dynamic& and& social& concept! which! evolves! through! time.! à! family& as& a& broader& dynamic& concept:& the! legal! recognition! of! marriage! doesn’t! prevent! other! family! forms! from! being!protected.!! • Example:! there’s! an! heterosexual! couple! which! is! not! married! who! cohabits!in! a!rented! flat.!The!flat!is!in!the!name!of!the!man,!and!when!he!dies,!the!woman!asks!to!his!lawyer!to! subrogate!to!the!place!of!the!man!in!the!rent!contract.!According!to!the!applicable!laws!of! the! moment,! only! married! couples! can! use! this! right! of! subrogation! when! the! holder! (titular)! dies.! In! this! concrete! case,! they! weren’t! married,! but! where! cohabitants.! All! Courts!interpreted!restrictively!the!law,!so!the!woman!couldn’t!subrogate!in!the!contract.! This!case!arrived!to!the!Constitutional!Court,!and!this!last!one!considered!that!couples!not! married! but! being! cohabitants! also! had! equally! to! be! protected.! Then,! since! 1994,! we! have!this!new!rule,!by!which!not!only!married!couples!but!also!cohabitants!have!this!right! to!subrogate!into!the!contract.!! The! marriage! can! be! more! protected! than! other! kind! of! families,! but! it! doesn’t! imply! these! other!kind!of!families!can’t!be!also!protected.!! We! always! have! to! analyze& the& reality& before& the& legality:& whether! there’s! a! normalized! situation,! it!will! always! have! to!be! protected.! Not! if!this! situation! isn’t! normalized.! Thus,! the! Catalan! law! protects! married! couples,! not! married! couples! (cohabitants),! monoparental! families!and!reconstructed!families!(coming!from!a!divorce).!! Which%is%the%limit%to%this%protection?%Social&consensus! in!every!territory.!à! the!admission!of! non-matrimonial!families!does!not!imply!granting!legal!protection!to!any!social!group,!since!is! social!consensus!what!justifies!legal!action.!

! Other&examples:& • “The&three&Brazilian&brides&who&are&challenging&the&traditional&family&unit”:!a!notary!has! “married”! a! trio! of! women! in! Rio! de! Janeiro,! the! second! such! union! to! be! recognized! before!the!law!in!Brazil.!! • “Triparenting”:!a!couple!of!lesbians!ask!to!a!man!to!give!them!his!sperm!to!fertilize!one!of! the! women.! This! woman! has! a! child,! and! when! this! last! one! is! older,! a! friend! of! the! women!wants!to!be!considered!the!father!of!the!son,!even!though!he’s!not!the!biologic! father.!He!doesn’t!want!to!adopt!the!child,!but!to!be!considered!a!third!parent.!The!Court! considers!that!the! three! parents!can! be!considered! fathers!of! the!child.! These!cases! are! problematic! since! the! problem! arises! when,! for! instance,! the! lesbians! doesn’t! want! the! donor!of!sperm!to!visit!the!child.!The!social!consensus!here!is!very!unclear!in!Spain!right! now.!(Even!in!some!cases!one!can!get!sperm!through!internet!without!knowing!the!ID!of!

the!donor).!It!can’t!be! considered!a! third!father,! in!case!of! being!the!wife!or! husband!of! the! child’s! father! in! case! of! separation.! (it! means! a! stepmother! or! stepfather! can’t! become! the! legal! father).! The! law! here! provides! more! positive! conditions! to! the! stepfather!/!mother!but!in!no!case!it!gives!the!woman!/!man!the!consideration!of!father!/! mother!of!the!under-aged.!Despite!he/she!can!be!considered!so!in!cases!where!an!urgent! decision! is! needed! (such! a! medical! one),! if! the! real! mother! or! father! isn’t! there! at! the! moment.!And!in!case!of!separation,!he!/!she!will!also!have!a!visit-regime!of!the!child.!!

& 5.& RELATIONS& OF& KINSHIP.& DUTIES& OF& SUPPORT& BETWEEN& RELATIVES:& SCOPE;& OBLIGATED& PERSONS&AND&BENEFICIARIES;&AMOUNT;&PAYMENT&BY&THIRD&PARTIES:& Kinship:!“relaciones#familiares”.!! Types&of&kinship:&! • People!related!by!descent!from!a!common!ancestor!(consanguinity!or!adoption).! • People!related!by!marriage!(affinity).! Types&of&kinship&lineages!(llinatges#familiars):! • Direct!lineage!(direct!ancestor)! • Collateral!lineage!(common!ancestor):!sharing!an!ancestor.!! Relevance&of&kinship!in!family!law:!! • Duties&of&suport:! If!my!cousin!needs!help,!I!don’t!have!the!obligation!to ! help!him,!but!my! mom!has!to!help!him.!! • Prohibitions&to&marry:!you!can’t!marry!your!brother,!since!publilc!politics!consider!this!is! not!normal.! • Relevance& of& kinship& in& other& fields:! personal! law;! inheritance! law;! social! security! subsidies,!etc.:!the!legislator!takes!into!account,!the!kinship!to!make!certain!decisions.!! When! speaking! of! social! subsidies,! it’s! important! to! demonstrate! I! have! a! kinship! with! the! person!in!question.!! To!know!how!to!estimate!the!relation!grade!with!a!certain!person,!we!have!to!watch!out!the! “Act&10/2008,&of&10th&July,&of&the&book&4&of&the&CCC,®arding&successions.!! ! &5.1&“Act&10/2008,&of&10&July,&of&the&book&4&of&the&CCC,®arding&successions”:&& Sec.&441-3.&KINSHIP&& 1.#The# proximity# of#kinship#is#determined# by#the#number# of#generations.#Each# generation#forms#a#degree# and# each#series#of#degrees#forms#a#line.#The#line#can#be#direct#or#collateral.## 2.#The#line%is%direct#if#the#individuals#descend#one#from#the#other,#and#it#can#be#descending#and#ascending.#The# descending#line#links# the# parent#with# said#individual’s#descendants.# The#ascending# line#links# an#individual# with# the#individuals#said#party#descends#from.## 3.# The% line% is% collateral# if# the# individuals# do# not# descend# one# from# the# other# but# rather# they# come# from# a# common#lineage.#à # Identify# the#common#ancestor#and#afterwards,#we#will#know#whether#we#are#collaterals#or# not.#(cousins?).##

! Sec.&441-4.&CALCULATION&OF&KINSHIP:&& 1.#In#a#direct%line#the#degrees#will#be#counted#according#to#the#number#of#generations,#not#including#that#of#the# parent.## 2.# In# a# collateral% line# the# degrees# will# be# counted# by# adding# the# generations# in# each# branch# of# the# common# lineage.#

& & & & &

& & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & Example:&Jan!&!Arnau:!they!are!collaterals!since!they!don’t!have!a!direct!vertical!line.!But!they! are!fourth&(4)°ree&collaterals!because!they!have!a!common!ancestor.!Which!degree?!! Example:&Jan!&!Laia:!third°ree&collaterals.! Example:!Xavier!&!Oriol!(cuñados):!second& degree&collaterals.!They!are!not!linked!by!a!blood! link,!but!for!affinity,!due!to!the!marriage!between!Oriol!and!Laia.!# & 5.2&Duties&of&support&between&relatives:&& Rationale:!solidarity!among!family!members!+!Sec.!10! SC!(dignity)!à!¿sec.!39.1!SC?:!The!sec.! 10!SC! recognizes!the!dignity!of! the!people!inside!of! a!relation!with!this! idea.!The!State! helps! people!subsidiarily,!when!people!around!the!concrete!person!in!need!don’t!support!him.!!! Scope&of&application:& • Which!family&members!are!under!a!duty!to!provide!support?! • In!which!order!are!they!obliged?!! • What!does!the!law!mean!by!“support”?!(content)!! • The&amount!of!support!! • Different!standards!of!support!! • The!obligation!to!provide!support!! • Provision!of!support!by!third&parties! • The!duties!of!support!were!founded!by!the!idea!of!solidarity&among!the!family!members.!! & 5.2.1&Relatives&under&a&reciprocal&duty&to&provide&support&and&the&order&of&priority&& Sec.&237-6&CCC:&& • Spouse:&first!people!having!a!support!relation.!Thus,!if!one!of!the!parties!in!a!marriage!is! in!need,!the!first!person!he/she!will!have!to!go!for!is!his/her!spouse.! • Descendants& (in& the& nearest& degree):! it! refers! to! the! nearest! descendants,! which! are! more!bound!than!the!farthest!ones.!! Since!law! refers! to! the! “nearest!degree”,!the! sons! are! bound,!and! if! these! can’t!respond! (for! economical!causes! or! their!death),! the! grand! children!would!have!to!respond.!!! • &Ascendants& (in& the&nearest°ree):! if!a!guy!asks!for!a! duty!of! support,!the!parents! will! be!bound,!and!in!case!they!can’t!respond,!the!grand!parents!would!be!bound.!!

• Siblings&(brothers&and&sisters):!they!the!last!people!to!respond,!to!whom!you!can!ask!for!a! “duty!of!support”,!since!in!no!case!this!duty!of!support!bounds!cousins!for!instance.!You! can!only!ask!them!essential!helps,!you!can’t!ask!them!additional!help.!! o Adult!non-disabled!siblings!à!maintenance!needed!for!a!living.!!! o Not! obliged! if! they! are! disabled! (discapacitados/minusvalidos),! except! their! future! needs! are! covered! anyway! (if! they! have! enough! resources! to! cover! their! prior! necessities,!yes).!! Sec.& 237-6.2&CCC:!If#the#resources#and#possibilities# of#the#primary#obligors#are#not# enough#to# provide#full#support,# it#will#be# possible#to#claim# support#from# subsequent#obligors,#insofar#as# necessary,#on#the#same#claim.#à!this!article!is!for!exceptional!cases!where!the!kinship!doesn’t! work.!Since!en!most!cases,!whether!there!are!people!in!need,!the!others!will!help!him.!! Married! couples! and! bot! married! couples! are! both! considered! families,! despite! in! certain! points;! their! protection! will! be! different.! This! is! the! case! of! the! duties! of! support:! since! this! obligation! doesn’t! affect! to! cohabitants,! but! it! actually! bounds! married! couples.! Here,! cohabitants! need! less! protection,! because! nowadays! every! person! can! get! married! and! the! legislator! considers! that! whether! you! want! to! have! more! advantages! or! not,! you! can! get! married.!!! What!happens! if! the! unique! person! who! can! look! after! me! doesn’t! have! enough! sources! to! keep!someone?!Then!it!appears!subsidiarily!the!State!assistance.!! & 5.2.2&The&contents&of&the&duty&of&support:&& Sec.&237-1&CCC:& Maintenance,&dwelling,&dress,&medical&assistance:!The!judge!watches!out!the!situation!of!the! person!who!is!asking!for!help!and!the!situation!of!the!person!who!has!to!give!help.!Whether! the! person! who! is! bound! to! pay! help! doesn’t! have! enough! economical! capacity! to! do! it,! he! won’t!be!bound!any!more.!! Education& and& training& during& minority& and& even& thereafter& until& its& completion,& provided& that&the&obligee&has&a®ular&performance&+&no&fault&(cf&Case&Law):&& • Example:!there’s!a!child!who’s!studying!at!UPF!and!needs!a!year!more!to!end!the!degree.! Even!if!his!parents!doesn’t!get!along!with!him,!(such!a!bad!relation!among!them),!parents! are!bound!to!help!him,!taking!into!consideration!their!economical!capacity.!The!judge!in! this! case! would! say! that! there! has! to! be! demonstrated! a! regular& performance& and! that! the! help!is! being!asked!without!fault,!thus!the!child!in! need!is!in!his! right!to! ask!for!this! duty! of! support.! When! speaking! of! education! and! training,! the! Court! considers! that! whether! the! person!in! need!is! in! the!University,! even! if! the! person! could! work,! but! has! preferred!to!study,!to!grant!a!better!future!and!a!better!life.!If!we!can!demonstrate!that! this! person! has! a! bad! behavior! with! his! parents,! we! could! even! consider! this! person! doesn’t!have!this!right!with!his!parents!to!ask!them!for!the!duty&of&support.&! • Legislator!doesn’t!like!people!who! neither!don’t!study!or!work!and!moreover,!are!asking! for!a!duty!of!support!to!their!parents,!since!courts!usually!reject!these!cases.!! • We!could!fix!an!age!according!to!which!help!and!duty!of!support!can’t!be!asked!anymore.! Nevertheless,!this!would!be!self-defeating!(contraproducente)!since!there!could!be!cases! where! people! studying! being! advanced! aged! or! people! with! health! problems! would! be! disadvantaged.!! Funeral& expenses?:& Had! been! very! criticized! since! some! people! consider! funeral! expenses! have!nothing!to!do!with!the!duties!of!support.!The!person!is!already!death,!then!there!isn’t!any! kind! of! maintenance! necessity.! Despite! it,! the! legislator! has! promoted! that! relatives! end! up! paying!certain!monetary!quantities,!which!result!being!very!high!in!fact.!!

ARTICLE&237-1.&CONTENT:&& Maintenance# means# all# that# is# indispensable# for# the# maintenance,# housing,# clothing# and# medical# care# of# the# person# maintained,# as# well# as# the# costs# of# education# if# such# person# is# a# minor,# and# the# costs# to# continue# education#after#attaining# majority,#if#education#was# not#interrupted#before#for# a#cause#not#attributable# to#the# person# maintained,# and# provided# he# maintains# proper# academic# performance.# Maintenance# also# includes# funeral#expenses,#if#not#otherwise#covered.#

& 5.2.3&Requirements:&& -!Existence!of!a!reciprocal&duty!based!on!kinship:!spouse,!descendants,!ascendants,!siblings.!! -&Obligee&in&need:&& • Limit&(sec.!237-4!CCC):!this!situation!cannot!be!attributable!to!the!obligee!(SCJC!4.7.2006,! RJ!2007\1810)!à!Case!law...!! -&Economical&capacity&of&the&obligor:&if!the!obligor!is!also!in!need,!then!the!obligation!to!help! fails.!(decae).!& Judges! doesn’t! give! this! support! if! they! see! that! the! situation! which! caused! the! need! is! the! fault!of!the!person!willing!this!help.!! • For& instance,! there’s! a! boy! that! nor! work! or! study,! but! who! anyway! asks! for! help! to!his...