Separate property is protected, and may not be awarded in the whole or in part to the other spouse by the Court in a contested case.
All community property will be divided – even property that has not actually been received. The most common example is retirement interests earned during the marriage that will not actually be paid for many years.
There is a presumption that all property on hand at the end of a marriage is community property. It is the responsibility of the spouse claiming separate property to prove it.
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