Supreme Court of California

Where a husband, during a marriage, uses community property funds to purchase an insurance policy on his life, naming his wife as the policy's only owner and beneficiary, upon dissolution of the marriage, the life insurance policy is community property unless the statutory transmutation requirements have been met. Here, husband never expressly declared in writing that he gave up his community interest in the policy bought with community funds, so the trial court correctly characterized the insurance policy as community property, and the Court of Appeal erred in concluding otherwise.

Appellate Information

• Decided 05/15/2014
• Published 05/15/2014

Judges

• KENNARD

Court

• Supreme Court of California

Counsel