Legal Question in Family Law in California

Unmarried and work for other half what are my rights if we split?

I have been living with my fiance for 5 years. I have worked for him for about 4 years. He refuses to put me on payroll, he has expressed lately his desires not to get married and will not make me his business partner. He has implied that if I found another job we would break up. He begged me for a year to work for him and when I got cancer I agreed. I needed a change. I had a decent job with benifits and now all my eggs are in one basket. I feel very vulnerable and need help in finding out my rights. I do all the payroll taxes.business taxes, deal with employee disputes make finacial decisions , do building improvements,and basically run our businesses with him. He refers to me as his partner. I am very confused. Does our relationship have to be in a contract and if not am I screwed if we break up?


Asked on 1/12/03, 12:46 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Lyle Johnson Bedi and Johnson Attorneys at Law

Re: Unmarried and work for other half what are my rights if we split?

The family codes regarding community property do not apply to your case. To collect a share of the property you would have to prove in court that there was an agreement regarding sharing the business and other property acquired during the relationship. Unless the agreement is in writing you have a very difficult task.

You should contact a family law attorney near your home and review your situation.

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Answered on 1/15/03, 2:11 am


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