Legal Question in Family Law in Florida

Re: Marrage laws

Greetings. Thank you for allowing me to respond. Generally, under Florida Law, debts incurred prior to a marriage are considered individual and not "marital debts."

A marital debt is one that generally is incurred after the persons are married. For example, if after a couple is married, they obtain a credit card in both of their names and make charges on this card, then generally, both the husband and wife would be liable for the charges on the credit card.

This question also presents basic issues with creditors, debtors and bills. Generally, when a person obtains a loan individually in his/her name, only that individual is generally responsible for paying. However, sometimes - for example when a young person buys a car, the parent may co-sign for the loan. In this situation, if the loan is not repaid, the creditor can go after both the child and the parent for repayment.

The same general principles apply in your situation. Accordingly, unless you entered into credit contracts with your husband's creditors, you would generally not be liable for his pre-marriage debts.

I hope this helps and good luck.

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