Washington's Domestic Partnership Law
Blado Kiger, P.S. — Tacoma, Washington
At Blado Kiger, P.S., we handle family law concerns for registered domestic partners and individuals in "meretricious relationships" in the Tacoma area and throughout the surrounding area of Washington State. If you would like to speak with an experienced lawyer about this issue — call us at 253-272-2997 or contact us online to arrange n initial consultation.
Enacted in July of 2007 — Amended March 4, 2008
Washington State's domestic partnership law was recently enacted and even more recently amended. Although it stops short of allowing officially-sanctioned marriage or civil unions — the law does grant "marriage-like" rights to people engaged in certain types of relationships. These include:
- Same-sex relationships
- Heterosexual relationships where both partners are over age 62
If you are entering into or are in one of these types of relationships, talking to an attorney early in the process about your rights and the potential issues involved can make a tremendous difference in terms of results later, and in terms of how comfortable you feel with the process as it occurs.
Rights and Issues
Many of the rights and issues addressed by Washington State's domestic partnership law involve community property. That said — rights involving hospital visitation, organ donation, inheritance, public assistance, judicial process, taxes, guardianship, probate and trusts, dissolution, reciprocity and other issues are also affected.
Meretricious Relationships
Partners, whether same-sex or opposite-sex, without a prior written agreement, who cohabitate over a long period of time may establish important legal rights with regard to property, similar to those of married individuals. Washington courts refer to these relationships as a meretricious relationships. The parties in such relationships may seek court orders distributing property acquired during the relationship regardless of in whose name title is actually taken. If you are involved in such a relationship and need to protect your property from the unintended consequences of a meretricious relationship or distribute property upon termination of the relationship, our firm can provide the advice and representation necessary to pursue your goals.
Our firm can answer any questions you have about your rights under this new law and work in collaboration with you to achieve the most direct and straightforward solution we can, no matter what the issues that concern you are.
