Watts v. Watts
Wisconsin Supreme Court
405 N.W.2d 305 (1987), 152 Wis.2d 370, 448 N.W.2d 292 (1989)
Facts
Sue Ann Evans (Sue) (plaintiff) and James Watts (James) (defendant) lived together for twelve years in a “marriage-like” relationship and had two children. Sue claims she quit her job and gave up her plans to become a nurse on James’s promise to provide for her. Sue took James’s last name, and the couple shared expenses, bank accounts, and tax returns, and held themselves out as husband and wife. Sue contributed to the partnership through housekeeping, childrearing, working at James’s office, and starting a family business, for which she was not compensated. Eventually, the couple broke up, and Sue moved out of their home. Sue brought claims for breach of contract, unjust enrichment, and partition, claiming that she is entitled to her fair share of the wealth accumulated during the couple’s relationship. The Dane County Circuit Court dismissed Sue’s complaint for failure to state a claim. Sue appealed to the Court of Appeals of Wisconsin. The Supreme Court of Wisconsin took jurisdiction over the case after a certification from the court of appeals.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Abrahamson, J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 705,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 44,300 briefs, keyed to 983 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
- The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
- Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
- Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.
