Court Opinion

ID: 9748059
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-27 15:50:21.097896+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:25:31.128822
License: Public Domain

*565SMITH, Judge,
concurring and dissenting.
I dissent from so much of the opinion as holds that the agreement at issue is not void as against public policy. What was against public policy under our earlier opinions was not a premarital agreement as such, but rather that part of the agreement which waived alimony. The majority rely upon Maryland Code (1974, 1980 Repl.Vol.) § 3-6A-01(c) and (e), Courts and Judicial Proceedings Article, as a statement of public policy. What the subsections do is to define family use personal property as property acquired during marriage and marital property as not including “property excluded by valid agreement.” Agreement as to disposition of property acquired subsequent to marriage was well known and permitted at the time of our earlier decisions. If § 3-6A-01(c) and (e) can be said to enunciate public policy, it in no way concerns alimony. The reason for the policy stated in our earlier opinions was that the State has an interest in seeing that the marriage tie is not lightly broken. Now that the wife as well as the husband may be obliged to pay alimony, there is just as much reason for the policy as ever.