Arkansas

Family Law

Family Law

Section 9-12-317 – Dissolution of estates by the entirety or survivorship

(a) Hereafter, when any circuit court in this state renders a final decree of divorce, any estate by the entirety or survivorship in real or personal property held by the parties to the divorce shall be automatically dissolved unless the court order specifically provides otherwise, and in the division and partition of the property, the parties shall be treated as tenants in common.
(b) Notwithstanding subsection (a) of this section or any other law to the contrary, when one (1) of the parties to the estate by the entirety has been found guilty or has pleaded guilty or nolo contendere to a felony during the marriage and within three (3) years of filing the complaint for divorce and the other party to the divorce did not benefit from the felony, the circuit judge may award the property to the spouse who did not commit the felony or to both parties in any proportion deemed equitable by the circuit judge.
(c) However, when a circuit court in this state renders an absolute divorce from the bonds of matrimony or a divorce from bed and board, and the court dissolves estates by the entirety or survivorship in real or personal property under this section, the court may distribute the property as provided in § 9-12-315. The court shall set forth its reasons in writing in the decree for making an other than equal distribution to each party, when all the property is considered together, taking into account the factors enumerated in § 9-12-315(a)(1).

Ark. Code § 9-12-317

Acts 1947, No. 340, § 1; 1975, No. 457, § 1; A.S.A. 1947, § 34-1215; Acts 1991, No. 1160, § 1; 1997, No. 1119, § 1