In the Matter of Cheryl Serodio and Arthur Perkins: Existence of Prenuptial Agreements can be proven without providing the written, executed agreement. The New Hampshire Supreme Court issued its opinion on August 22, 2014.
The Facts
Wife filed for divorce from Husband in 2010. In 2011, Husband filed a motion to have a prenuptial agreement enforced. Husband did not present the family court with a copy of the agreement with Wife’s signature, because he alleged that Wife held the sole, signed copy, and she had lost it. Wife filed a motion to dismiss Husband’s claim, arguing that she never signed a prenuptial agreement. Wife also argued that even if she had signed a prenuptial agreement she did not do so voluntarily because she was coerced. The trial court granted Wife’s motion to dismiss. The trial court granted Wife’s motion on two grounds. First, the Court held that a prenuptial agreement that is not signed by the party charged is unenforceable. Second, the Court stated that even if the parties had an oral prenuptial agreement, oral prenuptial agreements are unenforceable.
The Appeal
Husband appealed and argued that the trial court did not apply the correct standard of review to Wife’s motion to dismiss. He argued that the real issue that trial court should have considered was whether a properly executed agreement existed before he and Wife were married, not if the properly signed agreement existed now.
The Holding
The Supreme Court agreed with Husband and reversed the family court’s decision. The Court held that, while RSA 506:2 requires that any agreement made in consideration of marriage be in writing, the actual writing need not be produced to prove its existence. A Court can find that a prenuptial agreement existed based on extrinsic evidence, including testimony.
The Takeaway
Make sure you keep your important documents such as prenuptial agreements and estate plans in a safe place. Upload a copy to your icloud, give a copy to several relatives, or keep it in a safety deposit box. The good news is that the Perkins holding will allow you to attempt to enforce the prenup anyway. The bad news is the effect of not being able to produce a copy of the agreement is a very expensive trial.