Lesson 3 - FL PDF

Preview

Summary

LESSON 3 FINANCIAL CONSEQUENCES OF MARRIAGE. PROPERTY AND FINANCIAL AGREEMENTS BETWEEN SPOUSES: In this Lesson 3 we will study the general financial rules, which are applicable to all marriages. In the following Units (4 5) we will study specific rules applicable to certain marriages, depending on t...

Description

LESSON&3&–&FINANCIAL&CONSEQUENCES&OF&MARRIAGE.&PROPERTY&AND&FINANCIAL& AGREEMENTS&BETWEEN&SPOUSES:& ! In!this!Lesson!3!we!will!study!the!general&financial&rules,!which!are!applicable!to&all&marriages.& In! the! following! Units! (4! &! 5)! we! will! study! specific& rules! applicable! to! certain& marriages,& depending!on!the!matrimonial!property!regime!of!the!spouses.!! Cohabitants:! these! rules! don’t! apply! to! them.! How! ever,! there! will! be! certain! rules! that! exceptionally!can!apply!to!cohabitants,!satisfying!the!will!of!the!legislator.!P.e:!rules!protecting! the!household!(sale!of!the!house).!! ! 1.&CONTRIBUTION&TO&HOUSEKEEPING:&& This!rule!is!only!applied!to!married!couples,!not!cohabitants!!!! Contribution!to!housekeeping!referring!to!who!must!contribute!to!the!family!expenses.!! These&family&expenses&include:&& 1. Alimony! or! support! in! a! wide! sense! (lesson! 1):! dress,! food,! education…! It! refers! to! the! alimony!of:! a. Spouses!and!common!children! b. Stepchildren!and!other!relatives!leaving!in!the!household!if!they!are!in!need.!! 2. Conservation,! upkeeping! and! repairing! the! family! dwelling! and! onther! family! use! properties,!according!to!the!possibilities!of!the!members!of!the!family.!! a. Rental! mortgage! payments! aren’t! included,! because! later! on! the! mortgage! will! become!in!to!a!proper!title!for!the!payer,!so!this!is!his!own!responsibility.!! 3. Future!provision!and!health!expenditures.!! & ARTICLE&231-5.&FAMILY&EXPENSES&& 1.#Family#expenses#are#those#which#are#necessary#to#maintain#the#family,#in#accordance#with#the#usage#and#the# living#standards#of#the#family,#and#in#particular:## a)#Maintenance#expenses,#in#the#broadest#sense,#according#to#the#definition#given#by#this#Code.## b)#The#ordinary#expenses#of#upkeep,#maintenance#and#repair#of#houses#or#other#assets#used#by#the#family.## c)#Welfare,#medical#and#health#expenses.## 2.# The# expenses# referred# to# in# Article# 237-1# incurred# for#the# maintenance# of#the# uncommon# children# who# live# with#the#spouses,#and#the#expenses#resulting#from#other#relatives#living#with#them,#except,#in#both#cases,#if#they# are#unnecessary,#are#family#expenses.## 3.#The#expenses#resulting#from#the#administration#and#defence#of#private#property,#except#those#directly#related# to#family#maintenance,#are#not#family#expenses,#nor#are#those#which#are#in#the#interest#of#only#one#spouse.##

& 1.1&How&should&family&members&contribute&to&household&expenses?&(sec.&231-6&CCC):&& Family!members!should!contribute!to!household!expenses:! 1. As!agreed!by!them!(=!private!autonomy!as!the!general!rule).! 2. As!established!in!the!law.! a. Contribution! with! household! work:! it! is! very! difficult! to! prove,! that’s! why! usually,! these!cases!only!go!to!court!if!there’s!a!break!in!the!family!(contribution!in#especie).!! b. Financial!contributions:!! i. In!proportion!to!the!earnings!and!income!flowing!from!one’s!personal!assets.! ii. In!proportion!to!the!value!of!the!assets.!! Who!must!contribute?!All!parties!having!rights!to!benefit!from!the!household!must!contribute! in!any!way,!at!least!by!household.!Parties!who!must!contribute:!! • Spouses;! • Children!living!in!the!household;! • Other!family!members!living!in!the!household.!! &

ARTICLE&231-6.&CONTRIBUTION&TO&FAMILY&EXPENSES:& 1.#The#spouses#must#contribute#to#family#expenses,#in#the#manner#agreed#upon#between#them,#with#the#proceeds# of# their# work# or# property,# in# proportion# to# their# revenues# and,# if# these# do# no# suffice,# in# proportion# to# their# property.# The# contribution# to# housework# is# a# form# of# contribution# to# family# expenses.# If# some# assets# are# especially# assigned# to# family# expenses,# their# fruits# and# revenues# should# be# used# preferentially# to# pay# such# expenses.## 2.#The#children,#common#or#not,#while#living#with#the#family,#must#contribute#proportionally#to#these#expenses#in# the#manner#prescribed#by#Article#236-22.1.## 3.#Relatives#living#with#the#family#must#contribute,#where#appropriate,#to#family#expenses#within#their#means#and# according#to#the#expenses#they#generate.##

! 2.&MAKING&THE&FAMILY&EXPENSES:& 2.1&Who&can&make&household&expenses?&& ARTICLE&231-4.&DIRECTION&OF&THE&FAMILY:&& 1.#Both#spouses#direct#the#family#by#mutual#agreement,#taking#account#of#the#interests#of#all#its#members.## 2.#In#the#interest#of#the#family,#either#spouse#(one#of#the#spouses)#may#act#alone#to#meet#the#ordinary#family# needs#and#expenses,#in#accordance#with#the# usage#and#the#living#standards#of#the#family,#and#the#spouse#who# performs#the#act#is#presumed#to#have#the#consent#of#the#other.##

& 2.2&Who&is&liable&for&household&expenses?& The! rule!of! the!sec.! 231-8!Is! important!since! maybe!one! of! the! parties!makes! a! loan! to!get! a! good,! f.e! an!Ipad! or! a! TV.! And! the!2nd! month,!the! spouse!doesn’t! pay!4! the!loan!contracted.! Can!El!Corte!Inglés!ask!the!other!spouse!for!the!payment?!If!the!good!was!bought!for!a!familiar! necessity,!El! Corte! Inglés! can! attack! the! other! spouse’s! goods.! If! the! expense! is! not! ordinary,! with!the!family!usage!and!standard!of!livings,!the!other!spouse!isn’t!liable.!! ARTICLE&231-8.&LIABILITY&FOR&FAMILY&EXPENSES:&& Both#spouses#are#jointly#liable#to#third#parties#for#the#obligations#entered#into#to#meet#the#ordinary#family#needs# and# expenses# in# accordance# with# the# usage# and# the# living# standards# of# the# family.# For# other# obligations,# the# liability#is#on#the#spouse#who#entered#into#them.##

! 3.!PROTECTION&OF&THE&FAMILY&DWELLING:&& (Rule!also!applicable!to!cohabitants!!!!!):!! Rules&applicable:!Sec.!47!SC;!231-9!to!234-3.2!CCC;!1320!CC.!! The&family&dwelling&includes&the&following&protected&assets:& • Family&dwelling,!either!under!single!or!under!joint!ownership:! o So!if!the!family!dwelling!has!to!be!sold,!the!consent!of!BOTH!spouses!is!needed!here,! regardless! the!property! is!only! from!one!of!them.! This!protection!implies! that! there! are! some! acts! subjected! to!legal! restrictions,! such!as! the! alienation! of!the! house! to! an!NGO!(here!the!house!can!neither!be!alienated!unilaterally,!despite!the!alienator!is! the! single! owner,! as! we! are! talking! about! a! necessary! family! good,! this! rule! also! applies!to!cohabitants.!The!spouse’s!consent!is!needed,!but!not!f.e.!the!father-in-law! consent.!! • Moveable&property&for&ordinary&family&use,!in!the!same!cases.!! o They! are! not! protected! by! the! SC,! but! since! they! are! inside! the! house,! the! constitution!protects!them!to.!! Acts&subject&to&legal&restrictions:!alienation!or!encumbrance!of!any!right!over!the!asset!which! compromise! its! future! use! (e.g.,! mortgage,! usufruct):! you! can’t! contract! a! mortgage! without! the! consent! of! the! other! spouse.! à! this! rule! alse! applies! if! parties! are! separated! but! not! divorced.!! & &

Types&of&restriction:!! • In! order! to! make! sure! family! is! protected,! law! makes! compulsory! the! acceptance! or! consent!of!the!other!spouse.!à!the!contract!effectiveness!is!made!dependent!on!the! the! spouse’s!consent.!This!consent!is!so!important,!that:! o Can’t!be!given!in!advance;! o Neither!can!be!given!in!general!terms.! • (Despite!this!rule!doesn’t!apply!to!second!properties).! • If& the& spouse& refuses& to& consent,! the! contract! effectiveness! requires! authorization:! the! judge!is!to!weigh!the!family!interest!or!any!other!just!cause.!! • Consequence&of&alienation&with&lack&of& consent:!the!spouse!who!didn’t!give!consent!has! 4!years,!since!he/she!realized!the!good/house!is!sold,!to!make!the!act!voidable.!! o Exception:! If!a! third! party! with! good! faith! is!involved,! if!he! goes! to!the! register! and! there! it! doesn’t! appear! the! dwelling! is! a! family! house,! and! he! buys! It! to! one! of! the! spouses,! the! sell! will! be! considered! valid.! à! To! mitigate! the! damage! of! the! spouse! who! didn’t! give! consent,! there! can! only! apply! COMPENSATION! (right! to! be! compensated!by!the!other!spouse).!! • At!the!end,!one!property!can!be!50%!from!both!spouses,!or!even!100%!from!one!of!them.! In!both!cases,!must!be!given!by!the!other!spouse.!à!there&is&no&freedom&of&disposition.&! ! 4.&FAMILY&TRANSACTIONS&AND&PROTECTION&OF&CREDITORS:& Asset&transfers&between&spouses:!Can!spouses!contract!among!them?!Such!as!selling?!Before! 1975! spouses! couldn’t! contract! among! them,! since! marriage! was! meant! to! be! a! unity,! and! contracting! may! lead! to! breach! of!contract! and! problems! and! claims! may!arise! between! the! spouses.! Since! 1975! spouses! can! contract! among! them,! but! there! are! still! some! clauses! to! protect!creditors.!! • Spouses& have& freedom& of& contract,! but! if! a! third! party! proves! that! this! contract! is! contrary! to! his!rights,! the! spouses!have! the! burden!of! prof! to!demonstrate! the!contract! made!was!real.!! • In& insolvency& proceedings,!rules! are!stronger.!Transfers!made!for! valuable!consideration! by! an! insolvent! spouse! to! the! other! spouse! are! presumed! to! be! detrimental! to! the! insolvent’s!aggregate!assets!(sec.!71.3!Spanish!Act!on!Insolvency).!! Joint& bank& accounts:! many! couples! have! joint! bank! accounts.! In! these! cases,! any! of! the! spouses! can! take!money! of!the! bank!account! in!order! to! do! acquisitions,!to! give!flexibility! to! the! family.! If! one! of! the! spouses! is! an! insolvency! situation! and! a! creditor! wants! to! seize! (embargar)!the!bank! account,!the!creditor! can!do! it.!How!ever,!some! joint!bank! accounts! are! from! the! exclusive! property! of! one! of! the! spouses.! If! the! owner! is! not! in! this! insolvency! process,!if!he! demonstrates!the!money!of!the!bank!account!is!his,! the!bank! account! can’t! be! seized! à! burden!of!proof!of!exclusive!ownership!of!the!accounts!funds!in!case!of!sezure!or!in! insolvency!proceedings!lies!on!the!asset’s!holder!(sec.!231-13!CCC!and!78!Spanish!Act!22/2003,! on!Insolvency).!! ARTICLE&231-13.&JOINT&ACCOUNTS:& Where# either# spouse# is# declared# bankrupt# or# where# joint# accounts# are# seized# to# pay# private# debts# of# either# spouse,#the#non-debtor#spouse#may#exclude#from#the#bankruptcy#estate#or# from#the#seized#assets#the# amounts#

which#can#be#proven#to#belong#to#him.## ! ! !

When!we!have!a!spouse!in!a!formal!process& of& insolvency& declared& by& a& judge,! creditors! are! more!protected.! • If! during! an! insolvency! prociding,! the! debtor! gives! or! sells! goods! to! the! other! spouse,! there’s!a!presumption!these!goods!are!given!by!donation,!so!the!creditor!can!opposite!to! this! donation.! This! rule! applies! even! to! the! operations! made! by! the! spouses! the! year! before! the! declaration! of! bankruptcy! (there! will! arise! to! the! presumtion! of! donation),! creditors!in!this!last!case!can!also!oppose!against!the!donation!in!front!of!the!judge.!! o This! presumption! doesn’t! apply! if! the! spouses! are! in! a! procedure! of! separation! or! divorce.!à!spouses!must!have!been!living!together.!! • This! presumption! is! rebuttable! (iuris! tantum),! despite! proving! the! act! was! 100%! valid! is! very!difficult.!! • Acquisitions!for&consideration&made!by!the!insolvent!debtor’s!spouse!are!for!money.! ! Sec.&78&Spanish&Act&in&Insolvency;&sec.&1142&CC:& • Should! the!consideration! paid! to!acquire! the! asset! come! from! the! insolvent! debtor,! it!is! presumed!that!the!consideration!was!donated.! • Should!it! not!be! possible!to! prove!the! origin!of! the!considation,!presumed! that!half! of!it! was!donated!by!the!insolvent!debtor.!! ! 5.&MARRIAGE&CONTRACTS:& !Agreements!between!people!married,!or!about!to!get!married.!! The! typical! term! used! in! Spain! to! talk! about! marriage! contracts! is! CAPÍTULOS! MATRIMONIALES.!! Notaries!usually!recommend!to!do!marriage!contracts.!! & 5.1&Types&of&marriage&contracts:& 1)& The& most& important& marriage& contracts& in& practice:! contracts! containing! agreements& concerning& the&family& economy!(marital!property,!contribution!to!household!expenses ).!(f.!e.! the! economical! regime! applying!to! the!marriage,!marital! property,! contribution! to! household! expenses…).!! • (If! you! have! community! of! property! regime! “régimen# de# gananciales”,! but! you! can! also! decide!there!could!be!separation!of!goods!if!the!couples!breaks!up).!! 2)! Contracts! containing! agreements& in& anticipation& of& a& future& family& breakdown:& modern! content!of!modern!contracts.!! 3)&Separation&agreements.!à!lesson!6.!! • They!are!concluded!out!of!court! • Incorporated!into!court!proceedings!(regulatory!agreements:!convenio!regulador”).!! à & Difference& between& agreements& in& anticipation& and& separation& agreements:! 2! and! 3:! whilst!the!agreements!in!anticipation!are!made!when!the!couple!is!still!together,!in!the!case!of! separation!agreements,!separation!or!divorce!has!already!arisen.!! ! 5.2&Typical&contents&of&these&marriage&contracts&in&general&(sec.&231-19&CCC):& Matrimonial& property& regime:! maybe! parties! chose! a! different! property! regime! to! the! one! provided! by!the! law.!Or! even! they! chose! to!substitute! some!rules! of!a! property! regime!-with! some!certain!limits-,!because!in!marriages,!contracts!rules!doesn’t!always!applies.!! • Then! we! can! have! an! election,! modification,! or! substitution! of! the! terms! of! the! matrimonial!property!regime.!! &

ARTICLE&231-19.&CONTENT& 1.#The#marriage#contract#may#determine#the#matrimonial#property#regime,#and#it#may#also#be#used#to#enter#into# succession#agreements,#to#make#gifts#and#to#stipulate#the#lawful#terms#and#agreements#deemed#useful,#even#in# anticipation#of#a#marriage#breakdown.# 2.# Marriage# contracts# may# be# executed# before# or# after# marriage.# Those# executed# before# marriage# become# effective# only# after# the# solemnisation# of# marriage# and# they# are# void# if# marriage# is# not# solemnised# within# one# year.#

Inheritance& issues:! we! can! go! to! the! notary! and! make! a! marriage! contract! containing! a! property!regime!+!inheritance!issue!since!maybe!one!of!the!sons!is!a!stepson.!!à!! Gifts& in& consideration& of& marriage:!when!the! parties!willing!to! marry!go! to! the!Notary!to! do! the! Marriage! contract,! and! the! parents-in-law! go! to! the! notary! too,! so! they! can! gift! to! the! couple!as!a!wedding!present,!the!house!in!Costa!Brava!where!they!usually!spend!the!summer.!! Other& “lawful”& contents:! they! have! become! very! popular.! According! to! the! family! code! in! 1998!in!marriage!contracts,!parties!could!agree!in!any!item!of!their!economical!regime,!such!as! gifts,!or!any! other!lawful!content.! With!this! regulation,!judge! could!knew!this! agreement!was! valid,!but!there!weren’t!rules!applying!in!every!case!(since!rules!applicable!were!very!general).!! With!the!new!regulation!(2011),!there’s!now!a!more!concret!and!better!regulation.!! • Consequences!of!a!future&separation&or&divorce&à à &recent!influence.! • Acknowledgement!of!paternity!or!maternity.!! People! outside! Catalonia! celebrate! much! more! marriage! contracts! than! in! Catalonia.! That! happens! because!in! Catalonia!there’s! already! Separation! of!property! and! in!the! rest!of! Spain! there! are! celebrated! more! marriage! contracts! since! people! want! to! change! the! economical! regime!governing!its!marriage!(from!community!of!property!regime!to!their!arranged!regime).!! & 5.3&Capacity,&form&and&publicity&of&the&marriage&contracts:&& Capacity!required!in!order!to!celebrate!marriage!contracts:!! • Minimum!age,!no!prohibitions.!! • If!there!were!involved!in!the!contract!third!parties,!f.e.!the!parents!of!one!of!the!spouses,! because!they!want!to!do!a!wedding!gift,!these!third!parties!are!required!to!have!capacity! too.!! • ARTICLE&231-21.&CAPACITY:&& Persons#who#can#validly#marry#can#enter#into#a#marriage#contract#but,#where#necessary,#their#capacity#must# be#supplemented.#

Form:!the! marriage! contract! has! to! be! signed! with! a! notary! in! a! public! deed,! if!we! want! this! marriage!contract!to!create!effects!among!the!parties.!The!publicity!and!registry!is!voluntary.!! Publicity& of& marriage& contracts:! parties! need! to! register! the! public! deed! if! they! want! their! marriage!contract!to!create!effects!to!third!parties.!Registration!has!to!be!done!in! one!of!these! following!places:!! • Civil!registry! • Property!registry! • Commercial!registry!! ! 5.4&Start&and&limits&of&marriage&contracts&binding&force:&& Marriage!contracts!can!be!celebrated!before!the!parties!get!married,!or!after!the!marriage.!! • After! marriage,! may! be! because! one! of! the! parties! won! the! lottery! and! they! prefer! to! create!a!separation!of!property!regime.! • It! is! also! important! to! take! into! account! that! we! can! change! the! marriage! contract! as! many!times!as!we!want!as!long!as!we!go!to!the!notary!for!that.!! !

We!distinguish!then,!between:! • Prenuptial& agreements:! the! contract! will! be! enforceable! since! (the! dies! a! quo ! will! start! running)! the! wedding! day,! whether! parties! doesn’t! fix! another! rule.! à! prenuptial! agreements!can!be!exercised!since!the!day!of!the!wedding.!! o What& happens& if& the& marriage& doesn’t& take& place& the& day& fixed?! The! marriage! contract!will!begin!to!create!effects!the!day!the!wedding!is!finally!celebrated!but!with! a!one-year&time&limitation&period:!so!if!this!year!passes!by!and!the!wedding!isn’t!still! celebrated,!this!marriage!contract!will!be!considered!null!and!void,!so!a!new!one!will! be!needed.!! • Postnuptial& agreements:! (f.e.! after! 5! years! of! marriage),! if! this! marriage! contract! is! signed,! it! will! be! effective! from& the& date& of& the& conclusion& or! the! date! stated! in! the! postnuptial!agreement,!not!creating!retroactive!effects.!! Marital!agreements!and!their!modifications!cannot!prejudice!rights&previously&acquired&by&3 rd& parties& (sec.& 231-24& CCC):! this! rule! can! be! explained! with! the! following! example:! “a# Catalan# and#a#sevillian#marry#and# start#living# in#Seville.#If#the#wife#convinces#the# spouse# not#to#change# the#economical#regime#by#default#(community#of#property#regime)#and#then#one#of#the#spouses# is# sure# a# bankruptcy# process# will# be# arose# against# him,# then# in# this# point# the# spouse# can’t# change# economical# regime# to# a# separation# of# property# regime# in# order# to# prejudice# the# 3rd# party,#so#the#creditor#can’t#get#his#right”.## • ARTICLE&231-24.&ACQUIRED&RIGHTS:&& The#amendment#of#the#matrimonial#property#regime#does#not#affect#the#rights#acquired#by#third#parties.##

! 5.5&End&of&the&marriage&contracts&binding&force:&& These!marriage!contracts!become&ineffective! when!the!couple!get!separated! or!divorced&(art.! 231-26! CCC).! Despite! There! are! certain! agreements! that! won’t! become! ineffective! if! a! separation!/!divorce!arise,!since!they!are!made!effectively!to!foresee!this!breakdown:! • Agreements&in&anticipation&of&a&future&family&breakdown:!If!a!contract!sets!the!economic! regime! +! anticipation! of! a! future! family! breakdown,! with! the! supervening! separation! or! divorce,! the! first! part! of! the! contract! will! become! ineffective,! not! the! second! one,! as! it! effectively!foresees!the!divorce!or!separation!–which!are!its!reasons!to!be-.!! • Inheritance& agreements& (in& the& cases& provided& by& law):! clauses! with! no! patrimonial! content,!will!still!be!valid!after!separation!/!divorce.!! • Acknowledgment&of&paternity&or&maternity:!clauses!with!no!patrimonial!content,!will!still! be!valid.! ARTICLE&231-26.&NULLITY&DUE&TO&ANNULMENT&OF&MARRIAGE,&LEGAL&SEPARATION&OR& DIVORCE& The#marriage#contract#is#null#and#void#in#case#of#annulment#of#marriage,#legal#separation#or#dissolution#of# marriage#by#divorce,#but#the#following#acts#remain#effective:# a)#Recognition#of#children#made#by#either#spouse.# b)#Agreements#made#in#anticipation#of#a#marriage#breakdown.# c)#Succession#agreements#where#required#by#this#Code.# d)#Agreements#included#in#the#marriage#contract#as#a#merely#documentary#instrument.#

! 5.6&Amendment&of&marriage&contracts:& Consent& of& the& persons& who& had& awarded& the& rights& affected& by& the& a...