Opinion ID: 1695303
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Heading: overview of antenuptial contracts

Text: In earlier times in many jurisdictions, antenuptial contracts were considered void as against public policy. Such contracts were considered incompatible with the marriage contract and tended to provide inducements to end a marriage. Osborne v. Osborne, 384 Mass. 591, 428 N.E.2d 810, 814 (1981) (citing 2 A. Linday, Separation Agreements and Antenuptial Contracts, § 90, at 90-33 (Supp. 1981)). The Florida case of Posner v. Posner, 233 So.2d 381 (Fla. 1970), began a trend departing from the traditional view and held that such agreements were not void ab initio and rejected the assumptions that such contracts encouraged divorce. In Frey v. Frey, 298 Md. 552, 471 A.2d 705, 709 (1984), the Maryland Court recognized that the majority of courts over the country had abandoned the view that antenuptial contract were void ab initio. This Court has followed the majority view and held in Stevenson v. Renardet, 83 Miss. 392, 400, 35 So. 576, 577 (1904), that an antenuptial contract is enforceable like any other contract. However, this Court imposed the requirement of fairness in the execution of such contracts. Estate of Fred Hensley v. Estate of Hazel O. Hensley, 524 So.2d 325, 327 (Miss. 1988). This restriction on enforceability encompassed a duty of disclosure. Hensley at 328; Matter of Estate of Benker, 416 Mich. 681, 331 N.W.2d 193, 196 (1982) (citing F.G. Madoray, Setting Aside Antenuptial Agreement Based on Non-Disclosure, 27 A.L.R.2d 883, 886 (1953)). Under the above conditions, an antenuptial contract is enforceable as any other contract. Hensley, 524 So.2d at 327. Accordingly, the same rules of construction and interpretation apply. Id. The first rule of interpretation of contracts is to follow the intent of the parties. Hensley, 524 So.2d at 327; Newell v. Hinton, 556 So.2d 1037, 1042 (Miss. 1990); Roberts v. Roberts, 381 So.2d 1333, 1335 (Miss. 1980). In general, an antenuptial agreement is usually enforced at the time of dissolution of the marriage or at the time of death of a party. See e.g. Rinvelt v. Rinvelt, 190 Mich. App. 372, 475 N.W.2d 478, 481-83 (1991) (antenuptial agreements enforceable at death or divorce). However, legal observers recognize that breach of the agreement can give rise to an appropriate remedy. 1 Ann Oldfather, Janice E. Kosel, et al, Valuation and Distribution of Marital Property, § 4.05 at 4-42 (1994 ed.).