The Supreme Court legalized same-sex marital unions in California State and all through the United States. However, California still has domestic partnership laws under which same-sex couples may register as domestic partners. Essentially, the state treats domestic partnerships similarly as marriages, but they’re between two persons of the same gender.
Whereas almost all domestic partnership statutes are precisely the same as those for marriages, there’s a small difference as far as dissolving domestic partnership is concerned. If you registered a domestic partnership in the state of California, then the state has the discretion to terminate it, irrespective of where you currently live. However, if you filed the partnership in another state, at least one of you must reside in California to file the petition to dissolve the union there.
Like divorces, dissolving domestic partnerships can at times be accelerated with a summary dissolution. The summary dissolution rules that apply in marriages also apply in domestic partnerships.
Partners who register domestic partnerships may also consider entering a domestic partnership agreement. This is a written agreement that controls how given financial issues will be handled during the partnership, death, and divorce.
Our lawyers draft domestic partnership agreements and bring knowledge, sensitivity, and experience to negotiations and preparation. We understand how these agreements should be and are experienced at protecting our clients’ interests while at the same time protecting the relationship.
