Simple English definitions for legal terms
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Immediate descent refers to the passing of property or inheritance directly to an heir, without any other family members in between. For example, if a grandmother leaves her property to her granddaughter because the granddaughter's mother has already passed away, this is immediate descent. It is different from mediate descent, which involves passing property through other family members before reaching the intended heir. Immediate descent can happen on the mother's side (maternal-line descent) or the father's side (paternal-line descent), and it is a type of lineal descent, which means it goes directly from one generation to the next.
Immediate descent refers to the passing of real property to an heir directly, without any intervening link in consanguinity. For example, if a grandmother passes her property to her granddaughter because the mother has already passed away, it is considered immediate descent.
Another example of immediate descent is when a mother passes her property to her daughter without any intervening link in consanguinity.
The law categorizes descents as either lineal or collateral, and as mediate or immediate. The term mediate or immediate descent may denote either the passing of the estate, or the relationship between the intestate and the heir. The classification of descents as mediate or immediate describes the proximity of the descent, while the characterization as lineal or collateral refers to the direction of the descent.