Legal Definitions - collegatary

A collegatary is a person who is a co-legatee. This means they are one of several individuals designated to receive the same specific gift or inheritance (a "legacy") from a will.

A collegatary is an individual who is named in a will to receive a specific gift or asset jointly with one or more other people. In essence, they are a co-recipient of the same inherited item or sum of money, sharing that particular legacy with others.

Here are some examples to illustrate this concept:

• Example 1: Shared Financial Gift
  Imagine a will that states, "I leave $150,000 to be divided equally among my three nieces, Sarah, Emily, and Olivia." In this scenario, Sarah, Emily, and Olivia are all collegataries because they are jointly inheriting the same specific sum of money from the will. Each niece is a co-recipient of that particular financial legacy.

• Example 2: Joint Ownership of Property
  Consider a will that bequeaths a family's lakeside cottage with the instruction, "I give my vacation home in Aspen to my two children, Michael and Lisa, as joint tenants." Here, Michael and Lisa are collegataries. They are both designated to receive the same piece of real estate, sharing the ownership of the cottage as a common legacy from their parent's will.

• Example 3: Specific Collection Bequest
  A will might state, "My collection of antique maps shall be given to the local historical society and my nephew, Daniel." In this case, both the local historical society and Daniel are collegataries. They are sharing the specific legacy of the antique map collection, meaning they are co-recipients of that particular set of items as stipulated in the will.