Legal Question in Family Law in Nevada

I have been living with my domestic partner for six years and he is financially abusive. He owns a business and I have worked for him at least 40 hrs a week for the last 5 years. Those hours include a home based business that he has and also at his brick and mortar business which is a different line of business than his home based business.I have never received a paycheck. He doesn't allow me access to any money of my own. I am not allowed to work outside the I home unless it's at his business.I don't even have a bank account. We have one car and he locks the keys to it in a safe that I don't have access to. If I try to speak up about it he threatens to throw me out with nothing because he informs me that everything in the house belongs to him and that he paid for everything, even my clothes. If he doesn't like something I say or do, he takes my phone and other items that are mine personally (but, he paid for) and locks them in the safe or breaks them. This is my question: Can I sue him for unpaid wages or is there anything I can do legally since we are not married?


Asked on 4/27/16, 10:06 am

2 Answers from Attorneys
Paul Malikowski Malikowski Law Offices, Ltd.

You can sue for the reasonable value of your services under a theory of quasi-contract. The Nevada Supreme Court has recognized this as a legal claim for relief. Your case may or may not fit the criteria under the law. Your attorney can explain further.

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Answered on 4/27/16, 12:12 pm
Marshal Willick Willick Law Group

I suggest you start with the explanations and resources we have posted at http://www.willicklawgroup.com/palimonycohabitation/. And as the other answer suggests, and the articles we have posted discuss, you may have a claim for "quantum meruit." We have litigated many of these cases; they are uniformly fact-intensive, but no one should have to live as you are living, so I do suggest that yoiu consult with a family law specialist, and make a plan for getting out of that situation, and having a life as something other than an unpaid servant.

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Answered on 4/27/16, 1:53 pm


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