Legal Definitions - accessory obligation

Definition: An obligation that is incidental to another obligation. It is a legal or moral duty to do or not do something that arises from a primary obligation. For example, a mortgage to secure payment of a bond is an accessory obligation. The primary obligation is to pay the bond itself.

Example: A person takes out a loan to buy a car. The primary obligation is to repay the loan. However, the lender may require the borrower to take out car insurance as an accessory obligation to protect the car in case of an accident. The accessory obligation is incidental to the primary obligation of repaying the loan.

This example illustrates how an accessory obligation is a secondary obligation that arises from a primary obligation. The primary obligation is the main obligation that must be fulfilled, while the accessory obligation is an additional obligation that is incidental to the primary obligation.