SAME-SEX COUPLES GAIN NEW RIGHTS, LIABILITIES IN CALIFORNIA: From the Los Angeles Times

California doesn't have gay marriage, but it's about to get a financial facsimile.

Starting Jan. 1, many unmarried couples will be able to qualify for some of the same benefits as married couples, including the right to inherit property without a will and legal standing to sue on a partner's behalf. The law applies to same-sex couples, as well as unmarried male-female couples as long as at least one of the partners is 62 or older.

...But with benefits come responsibilities. Couples who sign up for partnership status under the Domestic Partner Rights and Responsibilities Act also have potential liabilities. If one partner dies with debts, for example, the other partner will be responsible for paying them.

Frederick Hertz, an Oakland attorney who runs the website SameSexLaw.com, said he and his partner had kept their finances separate. They have no intention of mixing them, he said, because neither one wants to retain a financial tie if the relationship were to end.

Supporters of the domestic partners legislation anticipated a varied reaction. Although the bill passed the California Legislature two years ago, implementation was delayed until Jan. 1, 2005, to give domestic partners time to consider the implications of the new law.

more--a Q&A on what the law says

posted by Eve at 4:20 PM | link

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