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Article: Dower Law Protection
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- March 12, 1988
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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My husband and I recently separated and he has agreed to transfer
to me the property we jointly own in the District of Columbia. We
have signed a legal document known as a "separation agreement," and
one of the provisions of that agreement requires that both of us give
up our dower rights.
To complete the transfer of the property, I am refinancing the
house and my new lender is insisting that my husband sign the deed of
trust. Why is this necessary? Should I wait until the divorce is
final?
The doctrine of dower is one of the oldest rights found in our legal
history. Dower traditionally has protected a married woman by giving
her an interest in property that her husband owns during the ...