Legal Definitions - inverse-order-of-alienation doctrine

The inverse-order-of-alienation doctrine is a legal principle that states that if a mortgage or lien on a property has not been collected, the creditor can collect the debt from the parcels of the property in reverse order of their sale. This means that the creditor can first collect from the parcel still owned by the original owner, then from the parcel sold last, and so on until the debt is satisfied.

For example, if a property was sold in three parcels and the creditor has not collected on the mortgage, they can first collect from the parcel still owned by the original owner, then from the parcel sold last, and finally from the parcel sold second to last.

This principle is also known as the rule of marshaling liens and is commonly used in mortgage and lien cases.