[sourpuss]

Here we have what is called common law marriage - sounds somewhat similar. Only a few states have it, mine is one. In my state if you live together for 3 months and tell people you are married, you have a common law marriage. In theory you have to get divorced to end it but in reality most people just go their separate ways unless one makes a fuss. Other states that have this have different requirements.

We have that where I live. It's not good. My boyfriend had his life completely stolen from him by his ex. She convinced him to take out second mortages on his house, his rental property, and his business to buy a business. The business would have paid for everything and then some so it made sense. She convinced him to put the new business in her name and then filed for 'divorce' two weeks later and took the new business and left him with all the maxed out mortages.

In common law states you have just as many rights as if you are married and all you have to do is live together and share expenses for 3 months!

[happy ending]

We have that where I live. It's not good. My boyfriend had his life completely stolen from him by his ex. She convinced him to take out second mortages on his house, his rental property, and his business to buy a business. The business would have paid for everything and then some so it made sense. She convinced him to put the new business in her name and then filed for 'divorce' two weeks later and took the new business and left him with all the maxed out mortages.

In common law states you have just as many rights as if you are married and all you have to do is live together and share expenses for 3 months!

good lord! that is absolutely disgusting, that is a person with no morals whatsoever!!! i am not sure how it goes here, but i know someone who let her man move into the house she owned, he didnt work, studied at first then said he couldnt get a job (although there was shortages in his field) finally after several years she asked him to leave, he told her he would go for half of everything!!! he has a job now (2 years later) and is still living in the house, she has actually moved back in with her mother. he is apparently moving out soon!

he didnt actually go for anything in the end, but what a hassle!!

[WildChild]

We have that where I live. It's not good. My boyfriend had his life completely stolen from him by his ex. She convinced him to take out second mortages on his house, his rental property, and his business to buy a business. The business would have paid for everything and then some so it made sense. She convinced him to put the new business in her name and then filed for 'divorce' two weeks later and took the new business and left him with all the maxed out mortages.

In common law states you have just as many rights as if you are married and all you have to do is live together and share expenses for 3 months!

In some states it's 6 months or longer, depends on the law there. It can be a little hard to prove in some cases, you have to present yourselves as married. I have tenants who have lived together for quite for sometime but they do not have a common law marriage, they made it very plain that they are not married. The universities married student housing applications have big warnings on them that if you apply for this and live there for 3 months you will be legally married. There are probably a lot of people running around here who are poly without realizing it. LOL

[happy ending]

wow WC that sounds a bit hard to deal with, is it a hangover from old times when there werent enough priests or something. it is a bit hard to get my head around!!!

[kygirl]

We used to have those in KY. I think it was 7 years though... But if my memory serves me correctly, they did away with them in the 2004 election.

[Ashlee T.]

KyGirl you're right, no more common law marriages here in the big KY, but definitely something to consider in other areas that still honor common law marriages.