Dividing Property Without A Will - Intestate Successions

Property is Separate Property or Community Property when you get married to another person. Classify the type of property for the succession.

Community Property

• Community property is all property earned or acquired during a marriage. This includes property that is earned or acquired by an individual spouse. There is a presumption that all property acquired or earned during the marriage. Under Louisiana law, the property is the marriage is community property. 

• Community property laws apply to all spouses living in Louisiana

  • Spouses did not have to live in Louisiana during their marriage

  • Spouses do not have to have a marriage take place in the state of Louisiana

Separate Property

• Separate property includes inherited property or "heir property". Under a separate property regime of marriage, property bought with money is separate. Separate property is separate from the community property in a Louisiana marriage under the law. 

• Art. 2334.  Persons; scope of application of the legal regime

• Art. 2335.  Classification of property

• Art. 2336.  Ownership of community property

• Art. 2337.  Disposition of undivided interest

• Art. 2338.  Community property

• Art. 2339.  Fruits and revenues of separate property

• Art. 2340.  Presumption of community

• Art. 2341.  Separate property

• Art. 2341.1.  Acquisition of undivided interests; separate and community property

• Art. 2342.  Declaration of acquisition of separate property

• Art. 2343.  Donation by spouse of interest in community

• Art. 2343.1.  Transfer of separate property to the community

• Art. 2344.  Offenses and quasi-offenses; damages as community or separate property

• Art. 2345.  Satisfaction of obligation during community

• Art. 2346.  Management of community property

• Art. 2347.  Alienation of community property; concurrence of other spouse

• Art. 2348.  Renunciation of right to concur

• Art. 2356.  Causes of termination

• Art. 2357.  Satisfaction of obligation after termination of regime

• Art. 2359.  Obligations; community or separate

• Art. 2360.  Community obligation

• Art. 2361.  Obligations incurred during marriage; presumption

• Art. 2363.  Separate obligation

• Art. 2364.  Satisfaction of separate obligation with community property or former community property

• Art. 2365.  Satisfaction of community obligation with separate property

• Art. 2366.  Use of community property or former community property for the benefit of separate property

• Art. 2367.  Use of separate property for the benefit of community property

• Art. 2367.1.    Use of separate property for the benefit of separate property

• Art. 2367.2.  Component parts of separate property

• Art. 2367.3.  Satisfaction of separate obligation with separate property

• Art. 2368.  Increase of the value of separate property

• Art. 2369.  Accounting between spouses; prescription

• Art. 2369.1.  Application of co-ownership provisions

• Art. 2369.2.  Ownership interest

• Art. 2369.3. Duty to preserve; standard of care

• Art. 2369.4.  Alienation, encumbrance, or lease prohibited

• Art. 2369.5.  Alienation of registered movables

• Art. 2369.6.  Alienation, encumbrance, or lease of movable assets of former  community enterprise

• Art. 2369.7.  Court authorization to act alone

• Art. 2369.8.  Right to partition; no exclusion by agreement; judicial partition

• Art. 2370.  Separation of property regime

• Art. 2376.  Rights of creditors

1. Accept the succession unconditionally
2. Accept with benefit of inventory; or
3. Renounce the successions

Acceptance may be formal or informal.

• Formal acceptance is where the successor expreslly accepts in writing or assumes the quality of successor in a judicial proceeding. 
• Informal acceptance is where the successor does some act that clearly implies his intent to accept. e.g. living in the home of a parent

• Art. 939.  Existence of successor

• Art. 940.  Same; unborn child

• Art. 941.  Declaration of unworthiness

• Art. 942.  Persons who may bring action

• Art. 943.  Reconciliation or forgiveness

• Art. 944.  Prescription

• Art. 945.  Effects of declaration of unworthiness

• Art. 946.  Devolution of succession rights of successor declared unworthy

• Art. 947.  Right of successor to accept or renounce

• Art. 948.  Minor successor deemed to accept

• Art. 949.  Death of decedent as prerequisite to acceptance or renunciation

• Art. 950.  Knowledge required of successor as prerequisite to acceptance or renunciation

• Art. 952.  Probate or annulment of testament after acceptance or renunciation of succession

• Art. 954.  Retroactive effects of acceptance and renunciation

• Art. 956.  Claims of successor who is a creditor of the estate

• Art. 957.  Formal or informal acceptance

• Art. 958.  Informal acceptance; use or disposition of property

• Art. 959.  Informal acceptance; act of ownership

• Art. 960.  Donative renunciation deemed acceptance

• Art. 961.  Effect of acceptance

• Art. 962.  Presumption of acceptance

• Art. 967.  Acceptance of succession by creditor

• Art. 1095.  Vacant succession, definition

• Art. 1096.  Intestate succession, definition

• Art. 1097.  Vacant succession; administration by administrators

• Art. 1100.  Liability for unauthorized possession of vacant succession

• Art. 1192.  Termination of curator's duties on appearance of heirs