Uniform Simultaneous Death Act

Uniform Simultaneous Death Act

The Uniform Simultaneous Death Act is a uniform act enacted in some U.S. states to alleviate the problem of simultaneous death in determining inheritance. The Act specifies that, if two or more people die within 120 hours of one another, each is considered to have predeceased the others. When a will or other document provides for this situation explicitly, the Act does not apply.

The Act was promulgated in 1940 and last amended in 1993. As of 2007, 18 states and the District of Columbia have explicitly adopted the Act in its current version. A number of other states have indirectly adopted the Act as part of the Uniform Probate Code.

Inheritance

The Act primarily helps to determine the heirs of a person who has died intestate. For example, Alice and Bob are a married, retired couple with no offspring. They die in a plane crash, and it cannot be determined which person died first. Neither had executed a will, so both Alice's and Bob's families claim the couple's inheritance. The court uses the Uniform Simultaneous Death Act to resolve the dispute. In accordance with the Act, Alice is considered to have predeceased Bob, but Bob is also considered to have predeceased Alice. The inheritance is divided equally among their closest living relatives, according to degree of kinship.

The 120-hour period is intendedFact|date=August 2007 to simplify estate administration by preventing an inheritance from being transferred more times than necessary. For example, assume that the Act does not exist. Alice dies immediately, but Bob dies in hospital the next day. Because Bob outlives Alice, he would inherit her estate, and Bob's heirs would inherit the combined estate the next day. This would increase the legal costs involved, and cause Alice's estate to be subject to tax twice: once alone, and once as part of Bob's. However, if tax was paid in Alice's estate, Bob's would receive a Federal Estate Tax credit for the same property transferred by Alice (state death and inheritance tax provisions may differ). Under the Act, neither inherits the other's estate, each is taxed separately, and their heirs inherit both estates once.

Insurance

The Act may also help to resolve a life insurance case where the insured and beneficiary die in a common disaster. Different rules apply for insurance. For example, Carol has a life insurance policy through her employer. Her husband Dave is its beneficiary. They are both killed in a car crash, dying at or near the same time. If Carol has named a secondary beneficiary in her policy, that person will receive the life insurance benefit. If Carol has not named a secondary beneficiary, then it is assumed that she outlived Dave, and the benefit is inherited through Carol's estate.

External links

* [http://www.nccusl.org/nccusl/uniformact_factsheets/uniformacts-fs-usda.asp Uniform Law Commissioners information on the Act]
* [http://www.lrc.ky.gov/krs/397-00/CHAPTER.HTM The Act as enacted in the Kentucky Revised Statutes]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Uniform Simultaneous Death Act — A standard set of laws, enacted by some U.S. states, to deal with inheritance in the case that two people die simultaneously. The Act says that if two (or more) people die within 120 hours of each other, each is considered to have predeceased the …   Law dictionary

  • Uniform Simultaneous Death Act — A law used to determine the inheritance when more than one death occurs at the same time. The Uniform Simultaneous Death Act states that if two or more people died simultaneously due to an accident, within an 120 hour survival period, with no… …   Investment dictionary

  • Uniform Simultaneous Death Act — See Simultaneous Death Act …   Black's law dictionary

  • simultaneous death act — si·mul·ta·ne·ous death act /ˌsī məl tā nē əs / n: an act providing for the disposition of property or insurance benefits when there is no sufficient evidence that persons (as spouses) died other than simultaneously (as in an accident) ◇ The… …   Law dictionary

  • Simultaneous death — is a problem of inheritance which occurs when two people, at least one of whom is entitled to part or all of the other s estate on their death (usually a husband and wife) die at the same time in an accident. Under the common law, if there was… …   Wikipedia

  • Simultaneous Death Act — A Uniform State Law (adopted by most states) which provides that where passage of title to property depends upon the time of one s death, if there is insufficient evidence that persons have died otherwise than simultaneously, the property of each …   Black's law dictionary

  • Simultaneous Death Act — A uniform law which provides that where title to or the devolution of property depends upon priority of death and there is no sufficient evidence that the persons have died otherwise than simultaneously, the property of each person shall be… …   Ballentine's law dictionary

  • death — The cessation of life; permanent cessations of all vital functions and signs. Numerous states have enacted statutory definitions of death which include brain related criteria. For example, many states have adopted, sometimes with variations, the… …   Black's law dictionary

  • death — The cessation of life; permanent cessations of all vital functions and signs. Numerous states have enacted statutory definitions of death which include brain related criteria. For example, many states have adopted, sometimes with variations, the… …   Black's law dictionary

  • List of Uniform Acts (United States) — In the United States, a Uniform Act or Uniform Law is a proposed state law drafted by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (NCCUSL). TOC Drafting of uniform acts In the United States, a Uniform Act or Uniform Law is a… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”