Ensure Your Prenuptial Agreement Is Legal and Valid in California

Last week, we discussed the case of the former Los Angeles Dodgers owner who was facing an appeal by his ex-wife because she didn’t agree with the divorce settlement. If you remember correctly, he won the appeal, and the settlement remained as it was initially ordered. That post is a good reminder to our California readers that a prenuptial agreement in a marriage is an excellent tool to ensure your rights are protected if the marriage falls apart.

One of the issues that came up in last week’s post was that the ex-wife claimed to have been misled about the value of the Dodgers. While it was found that the woman did have knowledge of the value before the settlement, this brings up the issue of full disclosure. If you are entering into a prenuptial agreement with your future spouse, both of you must be truthful about financial matters. This does mean that you have to accurately disclose your assets.

In addition, when you are creating a prenuptial agreement, you can’t just hand it to the person right before you walk down the aisle to say your vows. Instead, you have to have ample time between when you present it to the person and when you have your ceremony. You must also each be represented by legal counsel.

The bottom line is that prenuptial agreements have to be signed voluntarily. We know that the thought of a prenuptial agreement might be an unpleasant one for some people; however, it is vital that you find out how these agreements can help to protect you before you say “I do.”