Legal Definitions - separation of patrimony

Definition: Separation of patrimony is a legal process in civil law that allows creditors of a deceased person's estate to collect their debts from a specific class of property that belongs to the estate, rather than from the heirs' personal property.

Example: Let's say John dies and leaves behind a house, a car, and some cash in his bank account. He also owes money to several creditors. In a separation of patrimony, the creditors would be able to collect their debts from the value of the house, car, and cash that belonged to John's estate, rather than from any personal property that his heirs may have inherited.

This process helps to protect the heirs from being held responsible for the debts of the deceased person, while still allowing creditors to collect what they are owed.