Can a house that was inherited by a spouse be claimed by the other in case of a divorce in Illinois?
Full Question:
My family had built that house about a century ago in Northbrook, Illinois. I, being the sole heir of the family, inherited it from my dad. I got married when I was 21 to my high school sweetheart. Everything was picture perfect up until the time I found her cheating on me with my best friend. I filed for a divorce. She is planning to claim a part of the house for herself to torment me. Does she legally have a claim over the house?
11/24/2016 |
Category: Divorce ยป Property Set... |
State: Illinois |
#27123
Answer:
Per 750 ILCS 5/503, the non-marital property shall be divided among spouses in the event of a divorce. 750 ILCS 5/503 specifically lays down what shall be considered non- marital property. It reads:
“(a) For purposes of this Act, "marital property" means all property, including debts and other obligations, acquired by either spouse subsequent to the marriage, except the following, which is known as "non-marital property":
(1) property acquired by gift, legacy or descent or property acquired in exchange for such property;
(2) property acquired in exchange for property acquired before the marriage;
(3) property acquired by a spouse after a judgment of legal separation;
(4) property excluded by valid agreement of the parties, including a premarital agreement or a postnuptial agreement;
(5) any judgment or property obtained by judgment awarded to a spouse from the other spouse except, however, when a spouse is required to sue the other spouse in order to obtain insurance coverage or otherwise recover from a third party and the recovery is directly related to amounts advanced by the marital estate, the judgment shall be considered marital property;
(6) property acquired before the marriage, except as it relates to retirement plans that may have both marital and non-marital characteristics;
(6.5) all property acquired by a spouse by the sole use of non-marital property as collateral for a loan that then is used to acquire property during the marriage; to the extent that the marital estate repays any portion of the loan, it shall be considered a contribution from the marital estate to the non-marital estate subject to reimbursement;
(7) the increase in value of non-marital property, irrespective of whether the increase results from a contribution of marital property, non-marital property, the personal effort of a spouse, or otherwise, subject to the right of reimbursement provided in subsection (c) of this Section; and
(8) income from property acquired by a method listed in paragraphs (1) through (7) of this subsection if the income is not attributable to the personal effort of a spouse.
Property acquired prior to a marriage that would otherwise be non-marital property shall not be deemed to be marital property solely because the property was acquired in contemplation of marriage.
The court shall make specific factual findings as to its classification of assets as marital or non-marital property, values, and other factual findings supporting its property award.
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From the above-stated provision, it is reasonable to conclude that a house that is inherited by a spouse shall be considered a non-marital asset and shall be divisible in the event of a divorce in Illinois.
