Articles Tagged with partition referee

How Does a Partition Lawsuit Work? (CCP § 874.720)

Published on: October 15, 2021 | By Underwood Law Firm, P.C.

Business woman relaxing on her office desk with paperworks on.
This article provides insight into how the partition process works so that you can know what to expect and hopefully navigate the process more smoothly. The typical steps for a partition lawsuit are described below.

Sometimes, when you inherit real estate together with another family member, or you buy an investment with a partner, the relationship deteriorates, and the parties cannot agree on what to do with the property. When you reach that situation, then a partition lawsuit is something you should consider.

The Partition Lawsuit Steps

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Is a Partition Always 50/50? (CCP § 874.040)

Published on: October 13, 2021 | By Underwood Law Firm, P.C.

50/50 illustration of a wall partition
The purpose of this post is to discuss how the proceeds of a partition action are divided between the owners of the property. This post will address the general rule for partition actions, address common instances, and provide some insight for anyone going through the process.

The first thing to know about partition actions is that they are governed by “fairness,” or what is commonly referred to in the law as “equity.” Although the California Code of Civil Procedure contains statutes that govern partition actions, all of a judge’s decisions in the action are supposed to be determined by what is fair. (CCP § 874.040.)

But what is fair? Generally, if a property is jointly owned by two parties and each of them has evenly split all of the costs, then naturally, fairness would dictate that they evenly split the proceeds from the sale. As many of us know, however, life is rarely so neat and clean.

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