Dawn, I Want You Back . . .

In re Marriage of Valli, No. S193990 (Cal. May 15, 2014)

Frankie Valli and his ex-wife are in a very long-running dispute about whether a life insurance policy that Frankie bought during the marriage is community or separate property. In ruling for the ex-Mrs. Mr. Valli,* the Cal. Supremes hold that the Family Code’s rules about the characterization of community property trump Evidence Code § 662’s presumption that a title holder is the actual owner of property. Justice Chin’s concurrence elaborates on the issue, explaining key differences between California’s Spanish-based family law and that in common law jurisdictions.