Legal Definitions - caeterorum administration

Caeterorum administration refers to a legal process where a court appoints an administrator to manage and distribute the *remaining* assets of a deceased person's estate. This typically occurs when a previous administrator or executor has only partially completed their duties, or when an initial grant of administration was limited to specific assets or tasks, leaving the rest of the estate unmanaged. It is essentially a supplementary grant of authority to ensure the entire estate is properly handled and settled.

• Example 1: Incomplete Administration Due to Executor's Death

  Imagine a situation where an individual is named as the executor in a will. This executor successfully manages the deceased's bank accounts, pays off debts, and sells their primary residence, distributing those funds to the beneficiaries. However, before they can transfer ownership of a valuable antique car and a collection of rare books, the executor unexpectedly passes away.

  How it illustrates the term: In this scenario, the court would then grant "caeterorum administration" to a new individual. This new administrator would be responsible for managing and distributing *only* the remaining assets – the antique car and the rare books – which the previous executor did not complete. This ensures that the *rest* of the estate is fully settled according to the deceased's will.

• Example 2: Limited Initial Grant of Authority

  Consider an estate that includes a complex overseas property that requires specialized legal handling in a foreign jurisdiction. The court might initially grant a limited administration to a specific lawyer, empowering them *only* to deal with the sale and repatriation of funds from this particular overseas asset. The rest of the deceased's assets, such as domestic bank accounts, investments, and personal belongings, are not covered by this initial grant.

  How it illustrates the term: Once that specific task of handling the overseas property is completed, the court would then issue a grant of "caeterorum administration" to a general administrator. This administrator would then manage all the *other* assets of the estate that were not covered by the initial, limited grant, ensuring the *rest* of the estate is properly administered and distributed to the beneficiaries.