Zuckerberg’s Property Status, Post-Marriage

Allyson Magda/Facebook, via Reuters

The marriage of Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan has prompted speculation of a prenuptial agreement. 

By TARA SIEGEL BERNARD, NYT
Published: May 21, 2012

The new Mrs. Mark Zuckerberg might not have to worry much about money, but that doesn’t mean she is automatically a billionaire.

The timing of Mark Zuckerberg’s marriage to his college sweetheart, Priscilla Chan, on Saturday, just a day after he took his company public, was certainly curious. Was he looking to clarify his net worth, which, with roughly 503 million shares, now stands at about $17 billion? And if true, many observers are speculating, did that have to do with the terms of a prenuptial agreement? The Zuckerbergs are not saying.

But what is clear, according to matrimonial law experts, is that whatever Mr. Zuckerberg earned before the marriage is still solely his property afterward.

California is one of fewer than a dozen states that follow community property laws, which specifically outline how property is divided between two spouses (or, in some cases, registered domestic partners).

(More here.)