Montana Supreme Court awards husband $955,000 home despite property being in wife's name

A Montana couple who put a home in the wife’s name before marrying in 2023 have seen the state Supreme Court uphold a decision awarding the property to the husband after their split. The court found that the husband had paid almost $955,000 for the purchase costs and improvements, and therefore had a strong case for treating the home as his, even though the title was in his wife’s name. The case illustrates that judges don't just look at whose name is on a deed when deciding who gets what in a divorce.

In this instance, the Montana Supreme Court concluded that the husband’s financial contributions and the circumstances surrounding the purchase justified awarding him the home. Read more about it here, as per report on Justia U.S. Law:The home and the marriageThe couple bought the home before marrying in 2023, but the title was placed in the wife’s name.

Despite this, the husband provided nearly $955,000 toward the purchase and later improvements to the property. When the relationship ended, the question became who should keep the home.