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HRS §533-9

When a wife loses her right to dower

This section says a wife does not get dower rights if the marriage ends in divorce. She also loses dower rights if she willfully and completely left her husband for a year or more before he died. Dower is a legal right to part of a husband's property.

spouses

The statute, as written — Barred by divorce or misconduct

In case of divorce dissolving the marriage contract, the wife shall not be endowed. No wife who has for one year or upwards, previous to the death of her husband, wilfully and utterly deserted her husband, shall be endowed or be entitled by way of dower to any property owned by him at the date of his death. [CC 1859, §1307; RL 1925, §3025; RL 1935, §4838; RL 1945, §12108; am L 1945, c 212, §1; RL 1955, §319-9; HRS §533-9]
Read the official text at capitol.hawaii.gov ↗as published Jan 6, 2026our copy taken Aug 20, 2026

LawTrove is not legal advice. The summary above is a computer-generated restatement — the authoritative text is the official version linked above.