Legal Question in Business Law in Washington

Re: Should I sign spousal consent and waiver?

Let me strictly answer your law question first.

It is hard to advise you what you should do without seeing the other pieces of the puzzle. Normally, if someone is selling their interest in a business, it would be common to get spousal consent as well, since this is a community property state. In order to tell you whether you should sign this one, I would need to see specifically what you are being asked to sign, and I would also want to know some things about the sale. Second, I would want to ask some questions to help me determine how much of your husband's business interest would be characterized as community property.

In other words, the document might be just fine, but I would encourage you not to sign it until you review it with an attorney.

Now for the non-legal advice. I know this is difficult when you are trying to save your marriage, but if he to trying to get you to sign by pressure, guilt and manipulation, and not by explaining to you why the document is important to him and then letting you do what you need to do to feel secure about signing it, I hope this is raising red flags for you. It worries me.

If you consult with an attorney on this, it will be strictly confidential, and the attorney will not even be permitted to disclose that the two of you met, much less what advice was given. You must be the one to act with your best interests in mind.

Good luck!