LA Notary - Louisiana Notary Matrimonial Regimes and Successions Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Andre and Beatrice have been married for 10 years under the legal regime of community of acquets and gains. They decide they want to switch to a separation of property regime. According to the Louisiana Civil Code, what is required for them to validly terminate their community property regime during the marriage?
- They must execute an authentic act before a notary and two witnesses.
- They must file a joint petition and obtain a court finding that the agreement serves their best interests. (Correct answer)
- They only need to verbally agree in the presence of two witnesses and a notary.
- They can simply file a document with the clerk of court in their parish of domicile.
Correct answer: They must file a joint petition and obtain a court finding that the agreement serves their best interests.
Louisiana Civil Code Article 2329 states that spouses may terminate a matrimonial regime during marriage 'only upon joint petition and a finding by the court that this serves their best interests and that they understand the governing principles and rules.' Merely executing an authentic act is sufficient before marriage, but not to terminate the regime during the marriage.
Question 2: Charles dies intestate, leaving behind his wife, Diana, and their two children, Edward (age 25) and Felicity (age 22). Charles's estate consists of both community property and his separate property. How will his estate be distributed according to Louisiana law?
- Diana will inherit all community and separate property.
- Edward and Felicity will inherit all community and separate property, with Diana receiving nothing.
- Diana will receive a usufruct over Charles's share of the community property, and Edward and Felicity will inherit the naked ownership of his share of the community property and full ownership of his separate property. (Correct answer)
- Diana will inherit Charles's share of the community property, and his parents will inherit the separate property.
Correct answer: Diana will receive a usufruct over Charles's share of the community property, and Edward and Felicity will inherit the naked ownership of his share of the community property and full ownership of his separate property.
Under Louisiana's intestate succession laws, when a decedent is survived by descendants, the descendants inherit the decedent's separate property (La. C.C. Art. 888) and the decedent's share of the community property. However, the surviving spouse is granted a legal usufruct over the decedent's share of the community property, which terminates upon the surviving spouse's death or remarriage (La. C.C. Art. 890).
Question 3: Which of the following individuals would be considered a forced heir under the Louisiana Civil Code?
- A 25-year-old child who is financially dependent on the decedent.
- A grandchild whose parent (the decedent's child) is still living.
- A 30-year-old child who is permanently incapable of administering their estate due to a physical infirmity. (Correct answer)
- The decedent's surviving spouse.
Correct answer: A 30-year-old child who is permanently incapable of administering their estate due to a physical infirmity.
Louisiana Civil Code Article 1493 defines forced heirs as descendants of the first degree who are either 23 years of age or younger at the time of the decedent's death, or descendants of any age who, because of mental incapacity or physical infirmity, are permanently incapable of taking care of their persons or administering their estates. Spouses and financially dependent children over 23 are not forced heirs.
Question 4: George, a widower, dies with a valid testament. He has two children, a son, Henry (age 40), and a daughter, Irene (age 21). His estate is valued at $800,000. In his will, he leaves everything to his son, Henry. What is the maximum portion of the estate that Irene, as a forced heir, is entitled to claim?
- One-half of the estate ($400,000).
- The entirety of the estate ($800,000).
- Nothing, because the testament is valid.
- One-quarter of the estate ($200,000). (Correct answer)
Correct answer: One-quarter of the estate ($200,000).
Because Irene is 21, she is a forced heir. According to Louisiana Civil Code Article 1495, if a decedent leaves one forced heir, the forced portion (or 'legitime') is one-quarter of the estate. The remaining three-quarters is the disposable portion, which the decedent can leave to whomever he chooses.
Question 5: Jean-Luc dies intestate and is survived by his wife, Marie, and their three adult children. Jean-Luc's father, Pierre, is also still living. Marie has a legal usufruct over Jean-Luc's half of the former community property. Which of the following events will cause Marie's usufruct to terminate?
- The passage of ten years.
- Her remarriage. (Correct answer)
- The death of Jean-Luc's father, Pierre.
- When all of her children reach the age of 30.
Correct answer: Her remarriage.
Louisiana Civil Code Article 890 explicitly states that the legal usufruct granted to a surviving spouse over the deceased's share of community property terminates when the surviving spouse dies or remarries, whichever occurs first. The other events listed do not terminate this type of legal usufruct.
Question 6: During their marriage, Leo inherits a sum of money from his aunt, which is his separate property. He uses this money to purchase a rental property and titles it in his name alone. Leo and his wife, Nina, do not have a matrimonial agreement. How are the rental payments received from this property classified?
- Separate property, because the property was acquired with separate funds.
- Community property, unless Leo executed and filed an authentic act reserving them as his separate property. (Correct answer)
- The classification depends on who manages the rental property.
- It is co-owned in indivision by Leo and Nina, but is not community property.
Correct answer: Community property, unless Leo executed and filed an authentic act reserving them as his separate property.
Under Louisiana Civil Code Article 2339, the natural and civil fruits of the separate property of a spouse (such as rent) are community property. However, the same article provides an exception: a spouse may reserve the fruits as his separate property by executing and recording a declaration to that effect made in an authentic act or act under private signature duly acknowledged. Without such a declaration, the rent is community property.
LA Notary - Louisiana Notary Matrimonial Regimes and Successions Questions and Answers
Andre and Beatrice have been married for 10 years under the legal regime of community of acquets and gains.
They decide they want to switch to a separation of property regime.
According to the Louisiana Civil Code, what is required for them to validly terminate their community property regime during the marriage?