Grappo v. Coventry Financial Corporation
Court of Appeal of California
235 Cal. App. 3d 496 (1991)
Relevant factsFree
Tillie (defendant) bought undeveloped Nevada lots with separate-property funds while she and Michael (plaintiff) were domiciled in California; the couple had an understanding that property either acquired during the marriage remained separate. After separating and Michael filing for divorce, the trial court applied California (not Nevada) community-property law and found Michael had no interest in the Nevada properties; Michael appealed, challenging the choice-of-law determination.
IssueFree
Whether property acquired during marriage is characterized as community or separate property based on the domicile of the parties at the time of acquisition, rather than the location of the property itself.