If my girlfriend and I are engaged but she has debt, what will be my potential liability?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
If my girlfriend and I are engaged but she has debt, what will be my potential liability?
I have excellent credit and a few assets that are paid in full. She has some unpaid debts from previous years. I’m wondering if the collectors can come are my money and assets once we are married. Also, I put her on my bank accounts so she was able to cash her paychecks.
Asked on December 15, 2012 under Family Law, Georgia
Answers:
S.L,. Member, California Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 11 years ago | Contributor
If you live in a community property state, community property is property acquired during marriage. Community property also includes income and debt incurred during marriage. Each spouse has a one half interest in the community property.
Separate property is property acquired before marriage or after the marriage ends. Separate property also includes income and debt incurred before marriage or after the marriage ends. A spouse has no claim to the other spouse's separate property.
Your girlfriend's pre-marriage debt is her separate property, and you are NOT liable for her debt incurred before marriage because it is her separate property.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.