Legal Definitions - family-expense statute

A family-expense statute is a law in some states that allows for a spouse's property to be used to pay for family debts. These debts can include things like rent, food, clothing, and tuition.

Let's say that a married couple is struggling to pay their bills. The husband loses his job and they fall behind on their rent and other expenses. If their state has a family-expense statute, the landlord could potentially go after the wife's property to pay for the unpaid rent.

Another example could be if the couple's child is attending a private school and the tuition is not paid. The school could potentially use the family-expense statute to go after the spouse's property to pay for the unpaid tuition.

These examples illustrate how a family-expense statute can be used to hold both spouses responsible for family debts, even if only one spouse incurred the debt.