(Warning: Typos Intact, Not Legal Advice)

What is my legal standing in a 12 year CIR ( committed intimate relationship) that ended recently.

We lived together for over 12 years. In June of 2023 he purchased a home, in his name only, in Washington state. I lived there with him for 8 months. When I left I did not take all of my belongs and he promised to give them to me. He is not cooperating and is not being very nice. Do I have any financial rights against the house or from him?

Answer: Here’s a list of common law marriage states:

• Alabama (if created before January 1, 2017)
• Colorado
• District of Columbia
• Florida (if created before January 1, 1968)
• Georgia (if created before January 1, 1997)
• Idaho (if created before January 1, 1996)
• Indiana (if created before January 1, 1958)
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Montana
• New Hampshire (for inheritance purposes only)
• Ohio (if created before October 10, 1991)
• Oklahoma
• Pennsylvania (if created before January 1, 2005)
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina (if created before July 24, 2019)
• Texas

Washington is not on this list, so it does not recognize common law marriages. Therefore, you may not have legal standing for claims related to common law marriage in Washington, except perhaps to recover personal property. I understand that your circumstances might be challenging and that your situation with your Circuit Court is frustrating, but sometimes that’s just how things unfold.