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this later draft and in the final version of the Deed of
Separation. Mr. Frazier never saw any of decedent's insurance
policies.
Kathleen was not represented by an attorney during the
drafting of the Deed of Separation. She asked her father, a
businessman, to review at least one of the drafts, and he
apparently showed it to a lawyer. However, Kathleen never met
with that lawyer. Decedent had told her that he would not leave
the marital home until the agreement was signed, and that
engaging an attorney would delay the separation. She wanted
decedent out of the house as soon as possible to end her
emotional distress. At the time Kathleen and decedent first went
to Mr. Frazier's office to sign the final version, decedent had
not secured a new residence. Mr. Frazier would not permit them
to postdate the document, so a few days later, after decedent had
actually moved out of the marital home, they returned to Mr.
Frazier's office to sign the Deed of Separation on December 1,
1980.
Divorce and Equitable Distribution Action
Sometime after the execution of the Deed of Separation,
North Carolina enacted an equitable distribution statute that
became effective for divorces obtained after October 1, 1981.
N.C. Gen. Stat. secs. 50-20, 50-21 (1987). The statute created a
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