SEPARATE PROPERTY

Property owned and/or controlled entirely by one individual for the duration of the marriage.  During the time of a divorce, separate property is not divided under a specific state's property division laws.  Separate property is kept solely by the spouse who owns it.  Separate property is property that a spouse gained ownership of before the marriage, through inheritance or as a gift.  Separate property also includes any property that can be traced back or connected to the original separate property.