(a) Except as provided in subdivision (b), debts incurred by either spouse after the date of marriage but before the date of separation shall be divided as set forth in Sections 2550 to 2552, inclusive, and Sections 2601 to 2604, inclusive.

(b) To the extent that community debts exceed total community and quasi-community assets, the excess of debt shall be assigned as the court deems just and equitable, taking into account factors such as the parties’ relative ability to pay.

Terms Used In California Family Code 2622

  • Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
  • Date of separation: means the date that a complete and final break in the marital relationship has occurred, as evidenced by both of the following:

    California Family Code 70

  • Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. Source: U.S. Courts
  • Spouse: includes "registered domestic partner" as required by Section 297. See California Family Code 143

(Enacted by Stats. 1992, Ch. 162, Sec. 10. Operative January 1, 1994.)

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