The short answer is no – asking for a no fault divorce does not prevent a spouse from also seeking a disproportionate share of the marital estate as I explain in more detail below.
Texas is a No Fault Divorce State
Texas is a no fault divorce state which means that you do not have to prove misconduct by your spouse in order to get divorced. The no fault ground for divorce is claiming that due to discord or conflict of personalities, the spouses can no longer achieve legitimate ends of the marriage relationship.
But that does not mean that each spouse receives an equal share of the marital estate.
Texas is a community property state which means that property acquired during marriage belongs to both spouses regardless of whose name is on the deed, title, or bank account.
In a divorce, the court (or the parties by agreement) divides the community property between the spouses. The legal standard governing how a court divides that property is a “just and right” division.
How A Court Divides Property In A No Fault Divorce
In making that just and right division, a court considers several factors and fault in the breakup of the marriage is just one of the factors that a court considers.
If one spouse proves fault as the cause of the divorce, then certainly that finding can factor into the property division.
But pleading or proving a no fault divorce does not prohibit a spouse from arguing fault in the breakup of the marriage as a reason for a disproportionate division of community property.
A court can award a disproportionate division of community property even in cases where the spouses are seeking a no fault divorce and neither spouse claims the other is at fault for the breakup of the marriage.
This is due to the long list of additional factors a court is required to consider when determining what constitutes a just and right division of the community estate.
Factors A Court Considers When Dividing Property
Below is a list of some of the factors a court considers when making a just and right division of property in addition to any fault in the breakup of the marriage:
- Relative education of the spouses.
- Relative employment, earning capacity, and business skills of the spouses.
- The age and physical conditions of the spouses.
- Financial obligations of the spouses.
- The size of separate estates and any expected inheritance of a spouse.
- The nature of particular property and whether that benefits one spouse over the other.
- Any wasting of community assets by a spouse.
- Any temporary support paid during the divorce.
- Excessive gifts to a spouse or children.
- Unusual needs of any adult children.
- Tax consequences of the property division.
- Whether a spouse committed fraud on the community.
- Which spouse will care for young children.
- The behavior of the spouses during the divorce proceedings.
- Whether separate property was a source of the community estate.
For example, a court often orders a disproportionate division even in a no fault divorce when there is a significant disparity in earning power between the spouses due to differences in each spouse’s education, experience, or skills.
A court also frequently orders a disproportionate division when one spouse is awarded primary custody of the children – for example by awarding that spouse the martial residence since the children are accustomed to living there.
If you would like to schedule a consultation to discuss your divorce case, then please send me an e-mail or send a request through my contact page.
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