Legal Definitions - first cousin

A first cousin is a person who shares one set of grandparents with another individual, but not the same parents. More specifically, a first cousin is the child of one's aunt or uncle. This means their parents are siblings, establishing a direct familial link through a common grandparental generation.

• Example 1: Family Reunion
  During a large family reunion, Mark introduces his friend to Lisa, saying, "Lisa is my first cousin." This means that either Mark's mother is Lisa's aunt, or Mark's father is Lisa's uncle. In either case, Mark and Lisa share a common set of grandparents, making them first cousins.

• Example 2: Estate Planning
  A will specifies that if the primary beneficiaries are unable to inherit, the estate should pass to the deceased's "closest living relatives, specifically any first cousins." If the deceased had a brother, and that brother had two children, those two children would be considered the deceased's first cousins and would be eligible to inherit under the terms of the will, as they share the same parents as the deceased's sibling, and thus the same grandparents as the deceased.

• Example 3: Medical History
  When a patient is completing a medical history form, they might be asked about significant health conditions among their immediate family and first cousins. For instance, a patient might note that their first cousin developed a rare autoimmune disease. This information is relevant to medical professionals because first cousins share a portion of their genetic material, and such a relationship can indicate a potential genetic predisposition or family history for certain conditions.