Porter v. Porter

Mary Jane and Denis Porter bought a home as joint tenants in 1963, and their 1976 divorce decree gave Mary Jane (defendant) exclusive possession subject to later modification if circumstances changed; Denis remarried Martha (plaintiff), and when he died in 1983, Martha sued claiming the divorce had severed the joint tenancy into a tenancy in common, entitling her to half the home. The trial court agreed and awarded Martha half the residence, and Mary Jane sought Alabama Supreme Court review.