Property and inheritance rights

This case considers conformity of constitutional provisions mandating that the State shall ensure, foster, and protect fatherhood, motherhood, and childhood, with the Children’s Maintenance Fund’s requirement that the applicant and the child must permanently reside in Lithuania to receive benefits. The petitioner argued that if the applicant and the child would lose their state-guaranteed support upon leaving Lithuania, it would violate the right to freedom of movement and the State’s duty to prioritize child interests.

Amongst other things, this case sets out that the constitutional concept of family is not only derived from the institution of marriage. According to the Court, a family formed on the basis of “continuous emotional affection, mutual understanding, responsibility, respect, co-parenting, and the like” is also protected by the Constitution. The significance of such family definition for same-sex partners was proven years later by the Constitutional Court case No. 16/2016.

The Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Ordinance 1961, as consolidated in 2021, governs divorce, nullity, judicial separation, and related matters in Samoa. A marriage may be declared void for lack of consent, bigamy, or improper solemnization, and voidable for non-consummation, incapacity, venereal disease, or pregnancy by another person. A divorce requires proof that the marriage is irretrievably broken, generally after 12 months of separation, though domestic violence may justify dispensing with that requirement.

The appellant sought to set aside a lower court’s decision and remove his deceased paternal grandmother’s estate executors. The lower court found that the appellant had no locus standi to bring forth the application as he was not the lawful beneficiary of his grandmother’s estate—he was born out of wedlock and his father predeceased his now deceased paternal grandmother. Therefore, the appellant had no right of inheritance intestate.

The appellant was shot by her husband, who subsequently committed suicide.  Her husband was employed by the South African Police Service, so she sued the Minister of Safety and Security for general damages, medical expenses, loss of earnings, and loss of support arising from her injuries and the deceased’s suicide.

This early case established the precedent that a married woman may own and convey property independent of her husband. On appeal, the Supreme Court reversed the lower court’s decision denying ownership of a half-acre of land. Ms. Dlyon bought the property from a sheriff’s auction after it was repossessed for the payment of the owner’s debts.

The Domestic Relations Law of 1973 governs various aspects of marriage, divorce, and custody of children—while also providing protections for women’s property rights in marriage.  The statute sets forth the requirements for a valid marriage, procedures to obtain a marriage license, duties and liabilities in marriage, guardianship and adoption of children, and the procedures to obtain a divorce. Chapter 2 outlines the requirements for a valid marriage. §2.2 provides that when men reach 21 years old and women reach 18 years old, they are per se capable of entering into marriage.

Belize enacted the Domestic Violence Act #19 in 2000 to provide greater protection and assistance to domestic violence victims.  It was enacted in recognition of the pervasive nature of domestic violence in Belize society in order to increase the resources available to deal with domestic violence cases.  The Domestic Violence Act defines domestic violence and governs protective orders, occupation orders, tenancy orders, other orders relating to counselling, the use of furniture and household effects, payment of rent, mortgage, utilities and compensation for any monetary loss due t

The Domestic Violence Act 1994 marked the first comprehensive recognition of domestic violence as a serious social issue in Malaysia, establishing legal protection and remedies for victims. It allows survivors to obtain protection against further abuse and to seek compensation for harm suffered. The Act applies broadly to family members, including spouses, former spouses, de facto partners, children (biological or adopted), persons with disabilities, and others regarded as members of the household.

The Domestic Violence and Matrimonial Proceedings Act of 1976 allows women to obtain a court order against abusive husbands without the need for divorce or separation proceedings. In addition, women can obtain a court order to remove a co-inhabitant from matrimonial home, regardless of whether the co-inhabitant owns the home. Case law has extended this Act to cover joint tenancies outside of marriage. See Case Law Section below.