In the past, Georgia courts held that prenuptial agreements made in contemplation of divorce were invalid on the ground that they were contrary to public policy. Thankfully, this is no longer the case. See Scherer v. Scherer, 249 Ga. 635 (1982) overruling Reynolds v. Reynolds, 217 Ga. 234 (1961). Today, prenuptial agreements made in contemplation of divorce are regularly enforced by courts across the state. Though agreements in contemplation of divorce do not necessarily violate public policy, the distinction between agreements made in contemplation of divorce and agreements made in contemplation of marriage has continued.
Several recent cases have attempted to distinguish agreements made in contemplation of marriage from agreements made in contemplation of divorce. The former require attestation by two (2)witnesses under O.C.G.A. § 19-3-63, while the latter do not.
In Dove v. Dove, 285 Ga. 647, 647 (2009), the Court held that a prenuptial agreement settling alimony issues was a contract made in contemplation of divorce and only required the signature of one (1) witness. However, in Sullivan v. Sullivan, 268 Ga. 53 (2009), where an agreement set out property rights, defining each party’s respective estates without defining alimony or division of property in the event of divorce, the agreement was considered one made in contemplation of marriage and required the attestation of two (2) witnesses.
While O.C.G.A. § 19-3-63 requires that contracts made in contemplation of marriage must be attested to by at least two witnesses, this statute does not apply to prenuptial agreements made in contemplation of divorce. Lawrence v. Lawrence, 286 Ga. 309 (2009). In Lawrence, the trial court upheld a prenuptial agreement that was only witnessed by one person. The Wife appealed, claiming that O.C.G.A. § 19-3-63 required the signatures of two witnesses. The Supreme Court of Georgia affirmed the trial court’s decision and stated that an agreement that contemplates that the marriage may end by divorce or dissolution, rather than only death, is an agreement that is made in contemplation of divorce, not marriage. Lawrence at 311-312.
By Connor Alexander, Law Clerk, Meriwether & Tharp, LLC