Legal Definitions - collateral descent

Collateral descent refers to the process of inheriting property from a common ancestor through a non-direct line of relatives, such as cousins or siblings. This is different from direct-line descent, which is the passing of property from a parent to a child or grandparent to a grandchild.

For example, if a person dies without a will and has no children, their property may pass to their siblings or cousins through collateral descent. This means that the relatives are related to the deceased person through a common ancestor, such as a grandparent or great-grandparent.

Another example of collateral descent is when a person inherits property from their cousin, who inherited it from their shared grandparent. In this case, the two cousins are related through a common ancestor, but not through a direct line of descent.