The deceased is a legal term for a dead person, used in legal documents and by law enforcement. Investigations into suspicious deaths aim to secure justice and deter others. Wills and taxes are also affected by death. The formality of the term can be used as a psychological tactic in court.
For legal purposes, a deceased is a dead person. While this term may be used outside the law, it is considered overly formal in some quarters. In legal matters involving a death, the deceased person will be named in legal documents as well as being referred to as “the deceased” to make the subject matter of the documents as clear as possible. Law enforcement officers and lawyers are more likely to use this term.
In law enforcement, unusual deaths can trigger an investigation. If a death is clearly suspicious in nature, investigators will want to look into the circumstances around the death to determine if anyone is responsible. This could result in a trial in which one party is held responsible for the death. The goal is to secure justice for the deceased and any surviving family, as well as prosecute people who commit murder or behave negligently and cause death. This creates clear consequences for engaging in such activities and acts as a deterrent to others.
In legal documents, the deceased is usually a subject of interest in the context of a will. If a will is present and appears to be legally valid, an executor will make it on behalf of the deceased, sometimes with the assistance of an attorney. In the event of a dispute over a will, the litigants must consider the express and implied will of the deceased when pursuing the matter in court. This is challenging because the subject of the case is no longer available to testify.
Property taxes, inheritance taxes, and a variety of other costs can arise when a person dies. Dead people are not legally responsible for the costs of processing their assets, as it is quite difficult to hold them accountable in a court of law. Instead, their property bears these costs directly. In the event that someone dies without a will, the government can appoint an executor to manage the estate, charge any taxes from the proceeds, and distribute the remainder to surviving family members.
The formality of this term can be used as a removal measure. In court, attorneys may choose to refer to the deceased by name or as “the deceased” for psychological reasons. The formality of the term can create a sense of repression in cases such as murder trials, where a lawyer may use it to subtly upset or discredit a witness by throwing them away with formality.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
