The Missouri Court of Appeals for the Southern District has ruled that in order for a spouse to be responsible for the bills of the other spouse, the company or person seeking to recover the money or damages must show that the bill was necessary.
Often times hospitals will attempt to collect one spouse’s medical bills from the other spouse. In order to do so, the hospital must prove all of the elements of the doctrine of necessaries. The doctrine of necessaries states that a spouse is liable for the other spouse’s necessary expenses, but not for the expenses or bills that were not shown to be necessary or that were not necessary.
To read the case in its entirety, check out:
Saint Francis Medical Center, Plaintiff-Respondent, vs. Britney Watkins, f/k/a Britney Carner, and Tyler Watkins, Defendant-Appellants.
Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District – SD32313
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