Court Opinion

ID: 9649209
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-23 14:44:55.263468+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:12:08.875754
License: Public Domain

GLASSMAN, Justice,
with whom NICHOLS, Justice, joins, concurring.
Because of my disagreement with part 3 of the Court’s opinion, I write separately on behalf of Justice Nichols and myself.
The statutory definition of marital property is found in 19 M.R.S.A. § 722-A(2). This definition is not without ambiguity. The Missouri Court of Appeals (Kansas City District) announced an interpretation of an identically worded statute completely inconsistent with that adopted by the opinion of this Court. See Forsythe v. Forsythe, 558 S.W.2d 675 (Mo.App.1977). Neither the interpretation of the Missouri court nor the interpretation of this Court is logically compelled by either the language or the structure of subsection 2. Although it is true, as noted by the opinion of the Court, that subsections 2 and 3 of Section 722-A are functionally interrelated, that conclusion does not aid in determining the meaning of the language in either subsection. Subsection 3 is itself unclear.1 For these reasons, *144I conclude that it is fruitless to endeavor to determine the meaning of subsections 2 and 3 as well as their interrelationship by a mere textual analysis.
The fundamental guide to the determination of the meaning of a statute is the intention and purpose of the Legislature in adopting such a statute. See, e. g, King Resources Co. v. Environmental Improvement Commission, Me., 270 A.2d 863, 869 (1970). See generally Comment, Statutory Construction, 30 Me.L.Rev. 72 (1978). We have previously noted that our marital property statute is based upon “the fundamental conception of marriage, having its roots in community property law, as a partnership or shared enterprise.” Carter v. Carter, Me., 419 A.2d 1018, 1022 (1980); Tibbetts v. Tibbetts, Me., 406 A.2d 70, 76 (1979). In order to effectuate this partnership conception of marriage, subsection 3 creates a statutory rebuttable presumption that property acquired during marriage is marital property without regard to the manner in which title is held. Drawing upon underlying community property concepts upon which our marital property statute is based and in recognition of the principle that each spouse should be able to maintain a separate estate consisting of 1) property brought into the marriage, 2) the increase in value of such property, 3) property excluded by agreement of the parties from the marital estate, 4) property acquired by a spouse by gift, bequest, devise or descent, 5) property acquired in exchange for non-marital property and 6) property acquired by a spouse after the partnership has been terminated by a decree of legal separation, subsection 2 excludes from the definition of marital property and therefore from the operative effect of the statutory rebuttable presumption the kinds of property enumerated above. The underlying purpose of our marital property statute is not furthered by excluding from the operation of the statutory presumption property received by both spouses during marriage by gift, bequest, devise or descent. On the contrary, the partnership concept of marriage is enhanced by a recognition that property acquired jointly by the spouses during marriage by gift, bequest, devise or descent is a part of the marital estate. Of course, this statutory rebuttable presumption may be overcome by evidence demonstrating that the transferor to the spouses had a contrary intention.
The interpretation of the statute here urged is totally consistent with the community property law on which our marital property statute is based. Describing the community estate, Professor de Funiak stated:
It includes the property earned or gained by onerous title by either during the union, as well as that given to both during the marital union. . . . Likewise, property given to one spouse alone, during marriage, is the separate property of that spouse. 1 W. de Funiak, Principles of Community Property § 1 (1943) (emphasis added) (footnote omitted).
The source of these principles was elucidated by Professor de Funiak:
The statute laws of Spain, from the time of the promulgation of the Fuero Juzgo in 693, have explicitly made provision as to property acquired by the spouses during marriage by gift, inheritance, devise or bequest and have been most careful in protecting each spouse in his or her right to have such acquisition as separate property when it was given to such spouse alone. This was fully recognized and thoroughly discussed by the Spanish jur-isconsults. Property so acquired was not *145acquired by labor, skill or industry so as to have been acquired by onerous title and, consequently, shared between spouses. .. . Of course, if the gift, inheritance, devise or bequest was made to both spouses, they both took it as community property; but if it was made to one alone it was the separate property of that spouse. Id. at § 69 (emphasis added) (footnotes omitted).
Since there was no evidence introduced in the Superior Court to overcome the statutory presumption that the property devised to the parties jointly during marriage was marital property, I would affirm the judgment of the Superior Court.

.19 M.R.S.A. § 722-A(2) and (3) provide:
2. Definition. For purposes of this section only, “marital property” means all property acquired by either spouse subsequent to the marriage except:
A. Property acquired by gift, bequest, devise or descent;
B. Property acquired in exchange for property acquired prior to the marriage or in exchange for property acquired by gift, bequest, devise or descent;
C. Property acquired by a spouse after a decree of legal separation;
D. Property excluded by valid agreement of the parties; and
E. The increase in value of property acquired prior to the marriage.
3. Acquired subsequent to marriage. All property acquired by either spouse subsequent to the marriage and prior to a decree of legal separation is presumed to be marital property regardless of whether title is held individually or by the spouses in some form of co-ownership such as joint tenancy, tenancy in common, tenancy by the entirety, and *144community property. The presumption of marital property is overcome by a showing that the property was acquired by a method listed in subsection 2.
The last sentence of subsection 3 unquestionably refers to the five subdivisions of subsection 2. Three of the subdivisions of subsection 2 do not describe “a method” of acquiring property. The first sentence of subsection 3 excludes from the operation of the presumption property acquired subsequent to a decree of legal separation. This exclusion is unnecessary in light of the last sentence of subsection 3 which incorporates the exclusion of subsection 2(C). The point is that the lack of clarity in the drafting makes textual analysis a tenuous basis for discerning the meaning of the statute.