Legal Definitions - scire fieri inquiry

Definition: Scire fieri inquiry is a legal writ used to determine the location of a testator's property from an executor. This writ is used when the sheriff returns nulla bona to a writ of executionfieri faciasde bonis testatoris.

Example: If a person owes money to someone and fails to pay, the creditor can obtain a judgment against the debtor. If the debtor still does not pay, the creditor can obtain a writ of execution, such as a fieri facias, to seize and sell the debtor's property to satisfy the judgment. If the sheriff returns nulla bona to the writ of execution, the creditor can then obtain a scire fieri inquiry to locate the debtor's property from the executor of the debtor's estate.

This example illustrates how a scire fieri inquiry is used in conjunction with a fieri facias writ to locate a debtor's property when the sheriff returns nulla bona.