To disinherit is to intentionally deny an inheritance. For example, an owner of an estate may deprive their legal heir(s) from inheriting their estate by excluding them from their will.
[Last updated in October of 2022 by the Wex...
family law
disposition
Disposition, in trusts and estates law, is the transfer, gift or sale of property from one individual to another. Disposition is generally done through a deed or will and involves transfer of possession.
In criminal...
dissolution
Dissolution is the act of bringing an end or termination of a legal relationship between two parties, such as a partnership, contract or marriage.
In the context of partnership law, dissolution is a fundamental change of...
distributee
A distributee is a person or party who receives a share of assets from a total of assets of a decedent. In simpler terms, a distributee could be defined as an heir; a person entitled to an interest or share in the estate distribution process...
distribution
Distribution is the act of dividing assets to one of several beneficiaries, as named in a trust or a will by a court. Also refers to (i) the payment of capital gains from an investment company to shareholders upon the sale of securities or...
divorce
A divorce formally dissolves a legal marriage. While married couples do not possess a constitutional or legal right to divorce, states permit divorces because doing so serves public policy. To ensure that a particular divorce serves public...
Divorce laws
Divorce Laws of the Fifty States, District of Columbia and Puerto Rico
This page links to the divorce laws of the states and to tables summarizing some of their salient points. Those interested in the divorce law of a particular jurisdiction should...
doctrine of incorporation by reference
The doctrine of incorporation by reference, under the law of wills, means that unattested papers (papers not present when the will was executed) can still be regarded as part of the will by incorporation. A writing that is not valid as a will...
DOMA
The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was a federal law passed by the 104th United States Congress intended to define and protect the institution of marriage. This law specifically defined marriage as the union of one man and one woman which...
domestic partner adoption
Domestic partner adoption occurs when one partner in a domestic partnership adopts a child born to the other partner. Domestic partnerships are recognized relationships between two people who do not wish to be married or cannot be married,...