On June 28, 2013, Governor Chris Christie signed a law (Bill S-2151) which requires judges in New Jersey to evaluate prenuptial agreements as of the date of their signing and not as of the date of their enforcement. This was a major change in the law.
It is of particular concern to business owners considering marriage. Typically, an owner will want to protect the business from being mandatorily sold in the event of a divorce. This law strengthens the enforceability of prenuptial agreements; therefore, it makes the protection afforded business owners that much more predictable.
The import of the law is that it prevents judges from considering the changes in circumstances between the time of signature and the time they are to be enforced. Prior to its enactment, N.J.S.A. 37:2-32 required judges to interpret premarital contracts as of the date of their enforcement. Therefore, if a contract was fair when it was signed, but when it was enforced would leave one spouse without financial support, it would be subject to attack.