‘For post-1976 spousal joint tenancies treated as separate property, since only the decedent's 50 percent portion is includible in his gross estate, only a 50 percent step-up would be available.’
‘For example, spousal violence was only criminalized twenty years ago and lobby groups are pushing for similar moves to prevent a defence to smacking children.’
‘Normally, this would require the surviving spouse to file a spousal property petition.’
‘It is likely, though statistics are hard to come by, that husband and wife remaining together in a very unhappy marriage resulted in high incidences of spousal abuse.’
‘Issues such as child support, spousal maintenance, and division of assets can be stressful and financially ruinous.’