Kamel v. Kamel
Texas Court of Appeals
721 S.W.2d 450 (1986)
- Written by Whitney Kamerzel , JD
Facts
Jeffrey Kamel (defendant) and Barbara Kamel (plaintiff) were married and subsequently divorced. Jeffrey was employed by the Cotton Belt Railroad, and his employer provided him with a pension and retirement plan. Railroad retirement benefits were governed by the Railroad Retirement Act. After the Kamels’ divorce, Barbara sued to have the court distribute the Kamels’ community property. Although the Railroad Retirement Act at the time held that certain portions of retirement benefits could be distributed as community property, the Kamels did not submit evidence showing which portions of the retirement benefits were subject to a community-property division. The trial court awarded Barbara a share of Donald’s retirement benefits. Donald appealed, arguing that the Railroad Retirement Act preempted state-law community-property rules and prohibited the distribution of his retirement benefits.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Bass, J.)
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