Wife deemed femme sole, when
A married woman has the right to run her own business, make her own contracts, and take someone to court or be taken to court — all on her own, without needing her husband involved. She can also protect her personal and real property the same way a head of a family can, unless her husband has already claimed those same protections for his own property.
451.290. Wife , when. — A married woman shall be deemed a femme sole so far as to enable her to carry on and transact business on her own account, to contract and be with, to sue and be sued, and to and have enforced against her property such judgments as may be rendered for or against her, and may sue and be sued , with or without her husband being as a ; provided, a married woman may invoke all and laws now or hereafter in force for the protection of personal and owned by the , except in cases where the husband has claimed such exemption and homestead rights for the protection of his own property.
(RSMo 1939 § 3385)
Prior revisions: 1929 § 2998; 1919 § 7323; 1909 § 8304
of wife conveyed and , how, , when on wife or husband, 442.030
(1955) Wife held entitled to sue husband under § 451.250 for premarital personal tort committed by him in automobile accident. Hamilton v. Fulkerson (Mo.), 285 S.W.2d 642.
(1957) Wife may sue her husband who her without her to recover value of her necessities which she provided herself and may also sue him for of her . Smith v. Smith (A.), 300 S.W.2d 275.
(1957) Wife held entitled to sue of deceased husband for personal injuries resulting from negligence of husband during . Ennis v. Truhitte (Mo.), 306 S.W.2d 549.
(1959) One spouse cannot maintain for against the other for personal injuries resulting from acts committed during the marriage. Browner v. Browner (Mo.), 327 S.W.2d 808. Deatheridge v. Deatheridge (Mo.), 328 S.W.2d 624.
(1960) Recovery allowed in by child for personal injuries and by father for medical bills and loss of earnings of minor child resulting from alleged negligence of 's , the child's mother, in operation of motor vehicle. Doctrine of introfamily from suit expired upon death of mother and wife and did not extend to 's estate, Brennecke v. Kilpatrick (Mo.), 336 S.W.2d 68.
(1963) Wife allowed to recover in action for damages for loss of caused by defendant's negligent injury of her husband. Novak v. Kansas City Transit, Inc. (Mo.), 365 S.W.2d 539, overruling Bernhardt v. Perry, 276 (Mo.), 612, 208 S.W. 462.
(1972) After divorce, a former wife may not recover damages from her former husband for a wrongful act committed during marriage. Ebel v. Ferguson (Mo.), 478 S.W.2d 334.
(1986) The court abolished the doctrine of interspousal immunity as a bar to for intentional torts. Townsend v. Townsend (Mo.), 708 S.W.2d 646.
(1986) The doctrine of spousal immunity is no longer available as a bar to negligence actions. S.A.V. v. K.G.V. (Mo.), 708 S.W.2d 651.
Tap any gold-underlined word to see what it means.
Red section numbers link to that law.
Legal information, not legal advice. Always confirm with the official source at revisor.mo.gov.