Legal Definitions - cessure

Cessure refers to the formal termination or ending of a legal right, interest, or obligation. It signifies that something that was legally in effect or ongoing has now ceased to exist or be enforceable.

Here are some examples illustrating the concept of cessure:

• Example 1: Lease Agreement

  Imagine a business that rents office space under a five-year lease. The lease agreement specifies an exact end date. On that date, the tenant's legal right to occupy the premises under that specific contract comes to an end.

  This situation demonstrates cessure because the tenant's legal interest (the right to occupy the property) formally terminates according to the terms of the agreement, and their obligation to pay rent under that specific lease ceases.

• Example 2: Contractual Obligation

  Consider a software development company hired to create a custom application for a client. The contract includes a clause stating that the development company's obligation to provide free technical support for the application will cease exactly one year after the software is officially launched and accepted by the client.

  Here, the cessure of the free technical support obligation occurs one year after the launch. At that point, the development company is no longer legally bound to provide that specific service without additional charge, as that particular obligation has ended.

• Example 3: Easement or Right-of-Way

  A landowner grants a neighbor an easement, allowing them to run a water pipeline across a corner of their property to connect to a municipal supply. The agreement for this easement includes a condition that the right-of-way will cease if the neighbor's property is ever connected to a different, closer water main.

  If the neighbor's property is subsequently connected to a new water main, the cessure of the original easement takes place. The neighbor's legal right to have their pipeline on the landowner's property terminates because the condition for its ending has been met.