Rhianimator
Junior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Texas
I am 27 years old and my parents split up 12 years ago. They've been apart ever since. I have 2 younger siblings, the youngest of which will be turning 18 soon.
My parents only had a common law marriage, though they had shared assets. When my mother left, she took my younger siblings and just left. No legal proceedings followed. My parents have had no law involved at all. My father has given her 400-600 a month cash in child support since the split, even when I was younger than 18. He also has purchased necessary school items (clothes, dues for clubs, band instruments, whatever he could) the entire time. On top of all of this, he purchased her a house in a small town here in Texas for $11,000 using monies from land he owned and sold off. That house was destroyed in a flood, and so he purchased another home for her spending another $25,000.
He's paid for my mother to have cell phones and purchased new cell phones for her since the split as well. Talking to friends, I feel like he's given so much. He doesn't have that much to give.
The problem is this, my mother took nothing that they owned together when they split. My father has 10 acres and a small cottage style home that has gone from a value of ~$5000 per acre in 98 to nearly $20000 an acre now.
Seeing the caboose of the proverbial gravy train coming to an end soon with my brother turning 18, she's decided to take legal action to get half of the land and house.
My question is this, can she do this? does anything my father has done in the last 12 years count? If he has to sell and split the land that I had hoped to purchase and build a home on myself, does she get half of current market value?
I am so at a loss that she would do this at this point. All that aside, I'd truly appreciate any legal insight I could get.
This sight seems wonderful.
Thank you so much.
I am 27 years old and my parents split up 12 years ago. They've been apart ever since. I have 2 younger siblings, the youngest of which will be turning 18 soon.
My parents only had a common law marriage, though they had shared assets. When my mother left, she took my younger siblings and just left. No legal proceedings followed. My parents have had no law involved at all. My father has given her 400-600 a month cash in child support since the split, even when I was younger than 18. He also has purchased necessary school items (clothes, dues for clubs, band instruments, whatever he could) the entire time. On top of all of this, he purchased her a house in a small town here in Texas for $11,000 using monies from land he owned and sold off. That house was destroyed in a flood, and so he purchased another home for her spending another $25,000.
He's paid for my mother to have cell phones and purchased new cell phones for her since the split as well. Talking to friends, I feel like he's given so much. He doesn't have that much to give.
The problem is this, my mother took nothing that they owned together when they split. My father has 10 acres and a small cottage style home that has gone from a value of ~$5000 per acre in 98 to nearly $20000 an acre now.
Seeing the caboose of the proverbial gravy train coming to an end soon with my brother turning 18, she's decided to take legal action to get half of the land and house.
My question is this, can she do this? does anything my father has done in the last 12 years count? If he has to sell and split the land that I had hoped to purchase and build a home on myself, does she get half of current market value?
I am so at a loss that she would do this at this point. All that aside, I'd truly appreciate any legal insight I could get.
This sight seems wonderful.
Thank you so much.
