Legal Dictionary
Main Entry:
suc·ces·sionPronunciation:
s&k-'se-sh&nFunction:
noun 1 a : the order in which or the conditions under which one person after another succeeds to a property, dignity, position, title, or throne
succession to the presidency> b : the right of a person or line of ancestry to succeed c : the line of ancestry having such a right
2 a : the act or process of following in order b : the act or process of one person's taking the place of another in the enjoyment of or liability for rights or duties or both
3 : the act or process by which a person becomes entitled to the property or property interest of a deceased person and esp. an intestate : the transmission of the estate of a decedent to his or her heirs, legatees, or devisees; also : the estate of the deceased including assets and liabilities —used chiefly in the civil law of Louisiana
intestate succession
1 : the transmission of property or property interests of a decedent as provided by statute as distinguished from the transfer in accordance with the decedent's will; also : the operation of such statutory provisions in transmitting intestate property intestate succession>
2 in the civil law of Louisiana : property that is not disposed of by will but by operation of statute intestate succession —Louisiana Civil Code>
testate succession
: the transmission of property in accordance with a valid will
vacant succession
in the civil law of Louisiana : an estate that has not been claimed, of which the heirs are unknown, or that has been renounced by all of the heirs
4 a : the continuance of a corporation's status as a legal person succession> b : the act or process by which one corporation assumes ownership of another succession —Saul Berkowitz>
5 : the act or process by which one state takes over or follows upon another and becomes entitled to its rights and position in international law
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k-sesh-uh