- 23 - yet she failed to list the New Mexico property in the financial statement filed with the divorce court during the course of the divorce proceeding she initiated. Moreover, she did not object when decedent failed to list that property in the inventory of community property he filed with the divorce court. Petitioner testified that she performed bookkeeping and other management services in connection with the operation of the partnership. That testimony does not lend support to her argument that the character of the New Mexico ranch and the successor properties was changed to community property. The performance of services by one spouse will not, standing alone, effect a change in character of the other spouse's separate property. Myrland v. Myrland, 508 P.2d at 763 (husband performed services for his wife's business, one of the assets of which was the wife's separately owned real property; held, husband's performance of services did not change the character of the real property to community property); Horton v. Horton, 278 P. 370, 371 (Ariz. 1929) (fact that husband helped construct a building on the wife's separately owned real estate does not transmute the building or the real estate into community property). Based on the evidence before us, we are unable to conclude that decedent intended to, or did, change the character of his interest in the New Mexico property or any of the successor properties to community property. Petitioner has failed to carry her burden of proving such a change. We find as an ultimate factPage: Previous 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Next
Last modified: May 25, 2011