Legal Definitions - in odium

In odium is a Latin legal term meaning "in detestation" or "out of hatred." It describes an action, decision, or judgment made due to strong dislike, contempt, or animosity towards a person or their conduct.

Here are some examples illustrating the application of "in odium":

• Imagine a scenario where a wealthy benefactor had established a trust to fund a specific charity. However, after discovering that the charity's director had embezzled a significant portion of its funds for personal gain, the benefactor amended the trust to redirect all future donations to a different organization. The legal justification for this change could be described as being made in odium of the director's fraudulent actions. This illustrates how the decision was driven by intense disapproval and contempt for the director's misconduct.

• Consider a historical legal case where a community sought to revoke the land rights of a local landowner. The landowner had repeatedly and publicly engaged in activities deemed morally repugnant and disruptive to the peace and order of the community, despite numerous warnings. If a court ruled to strip the landowner of their rights, citing their persistent and offensive behavior as the primary reason, this judgment could be said to have been rendered in odium of the landowner's conduct. This demonstrates a legal action taken out of strong collective detestation for an individual's actions.

• In the context of a will, if a testator (the person making the will) explicitly states that a particular heir is to receive no inheritance whatsoever, and provides a detailed explanation citing the heir's repeated acts of betrayal and disrespect towards the family, this exclusion could be characterized as being made in odium of the heir's behavior. This shows a testamentary decision motivated by deep-seated animosity and disapproval stemming from the heir's past actions.