We Lived Together but Were Never Legally Married — You Get Nothing
Understanding rights of cohabiting partners and domestic partners under law
Premiumintermediate8 minutes
The Situation
What They Said
“We lived together but were never legally married — you get nothing.”
A couple lived together for several years and had a child together. When the relationship ended, one partner claimed the other had no legal standing to claim maintenance for themselves or a share of jointly acquired property because they were never formally married.
The Fallacy
Marriage as the Only Legal Relationship
This claim falsely assumes that only formal marriage creates legal rights between partners. Many legal systems recognize various forms of domestic partnership and life partnership, and courts have extended rights to cohabiting partners — especially where children are involved or where one partner was economically dependent on the other.
What the Law Says
Your Legal Foundation
Código Civil y Comercial de la Nación
art. 519 del Código Civil y Comercial de la Nación — Unión convivencial rights
“The cohabitants owe each other assistance during the cohabitation.”
Since the couple lived together and had a child, they were cohabitants, so during the time they lived together, they owed each other assistance. However, the law only requires assistance during the cohabitation, not after it ends, so the woman cannot claim maintenance for herself after separation based on this article.
What Scripture Says
God's Word on This
1 Samuel 1:8 (NET)
“Her husband Elkanah said to her, 'Hannah, why do you weep and not eat? Why are you so sad? Am I not better to you than ten sons?'”
Even in Scripture, committed relationships outside formal structures carried moral weight and obligation. The law recognises that love and shared life create real responsibilities, regardless of ceremony.
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You Know the Law — But Do You Know What to Say?
Reading your rights is one thing. Using them under pressure — calmly, correctly, in the right words — is what actually protects you. Members get the scripted rebuttal for this exact situation: what to say first, what to say if they push back, the tone to use, and the constitutional provision to cite. Practise out loud with audio until it's automatic.